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MARJORIE'S  QUEST.     For  Young  People.     Illus 
trated,     izmo,  $1.50. 

A  GENUINE   GIRL.     i6mo,  $1.25. 

AN    UNWILLING    MAID.     i6mo,  (1.25. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 


MERCANTILE  LIBRARY 

NEW   YORK. 


An 

Unwilling  Maid 


Being  the  History  of  Certain  Epi 
sodes  during  the  American  Revo 
lution  in  the  Early  Life  of  Mis 
tress  Betty  Yorke,  born  Wolcott 


By  JEANIE  GOULD  LINCOLN 


"  O  Romeo,  Romeo  !  wlierefore  art  than  Romeo  ?" 


BOSTON   AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 


1897 


COPTRIOHT   1897    BY  JEANIE   GOULD   LINCOLN 
ALL  BIGHTS   RESERVED 


TO  A    NINETEENTH   CENTURY   GIRL. 


A  great-grandmother's  bewitching  face, 
Looks  forth  from  this  olden  story, 

For  Love  is  a  master  who  laughs  at  place, 
And  scoffs  at  both  Whig  and  Tory. 

To-day  if  he  comes,  as  a  conqueror  may, 
To  a  heart  untouched  by  his  flame, 

Be  loyal  as  she  of  the  olden  day, 
That  Eighteenth  Century  dame ! 


2043284 


I 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   Miss  MOPPET 1 

II.   BULLETS  FOB  DEFENSE  ....  14 

III.  OLIVER'S  PRISONER 28 

IV.  FRIEND  OR  FOE 39 

V.  A  LOYAL  TRAITOR      .....  59 
VI.   BY  COURIER  POST 81 

VII.   WHAT  FOLLOWED  A  LETTER     ...  94 

VIII.   INSIDE  BRITISH  LINES    ....  103 

IX.   BETTY'S  JOURNEY       .....  118 

X.   A  MAID'S  CAPRICE 138 

XI.   ON  THE  COLLECT 151 

XII.   A  FACE  ON  THE  WALL    ....  163 

XIII.  AT  THE  VLY  MARKET       ....  188 

XIV.  THE  DE  LANCEY  BALL  ....  202 
XV.   LOVE  OR  LOYALTY 219 

XVI.  MOPPET  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY        .        .  238 

XVII.  A  KNOT  OF  ROSE-COLORED  RIBBON        .  251 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

BETTY  WOLCOTT         ....  Frontispiece. 
MlSS  EUPHEMIA  MEETS  OLIVER  AND  HIS  PRISONER      32 

THE  MINUET 206 

"I  HOPE  THESE  ARE  WEDLOCK  SHOES "    .  260 


MERCANTILE  LIBRARY; 

NEW   YORK. 


AN   UNWILLING   MAID 


CHAPTER  I 

MISS    MOPPET 

IT  was  a  warm  summer  day.  Not  too 
warm,  for  away  up  in  the  Connecticut  hills 
the  sun  seemed  to  temper  its  rays,  and  down 
among  the  shadows  of  the  trees  surrounding 
Great  Pond  there  were  cool,  shady  glades 
where  one  could  almost  fancy  it  was  May 
instead  of  hot  July. 

At  a  point  not  far  from  the  water,  lean 
ing  against  the  trunk  of  a  stately  maple, 
stood  a  young  man.  His  head,  from  which 
he  had  raised  a  somewhat  old  and  weather- 
beaten  hat,  was  finely  formed,  and  covered 
with  chestnut  curls ;  his  clothes,  also  shabby 
and  worn,  were  homespun  and  ill-fitting, 
but  his  erect  military  carriage,  with  an  in 
describable  air  of  polish  and  fine  breeding, 
seemed  strangely  incongruous  in  connection 


2  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

with  his  apparel  and  travel-worn  appear 
ance. 

"  I  wonder  where  I  am,"  he  said  half 
aloud,  as  he  surveyed  the  pretty  sheet  of 
water  sparkling  in  the  afternoon  sun. 
"  Faith,  't  is  hard  enough  to  be  half  starved 
and  foot-sore,  without  being  lost  in  an  ene 
my's  country.  The  woman  who  gave  me  that 
glass  of  milk  at  five  o'clock  this  morning 
said  I  was  within  a  mile  of  Goshen.  I  must 
have  walked  ten  miles  since  then,  and  am 
apparently  no  nearer  the  line  than  I  was 
yesterday  —  Hark !  what 's  that  ?  "  —  as  a 
sound  of  voices  struck  his  ear  faintly,  com 
ing  from  some  distance  on  his  right.  "  Some 
one  comes  in  this  direction.  I  had  best  con 
ceal  myself  in  these  friendly  bushes  until  I 
ascertain  whether  't  is  friend  or  foe." 

So  saying,  he  plunged  hastily  into  a 
thicket  of  low-lying  shrubs  close  at  hand, 
and,  throwing  himself  flat  upon  the  ground 
under  them,  was  comparatively  secure  from 
observation  as  long  as  he  remained  perfectly 
still.  The  next  sound  he  heard  was  horses' 
feet,  moving  at  a  walk,  and  presently  there 
came  in  view  a  spirited-looking  bay  mare 
and  a  gray  pony,  the  riders  being  engaged 
in  merry  conversation. 


MISS   MOPPET  3 

"No,  no,  Betty,"  said  the  little  girl  of 
about  nine  years,  who  rode  the  pony ;  "  it  is 
just  here,  or  a  few  rods  farther  on,  where  we 
had  the  Maypole  set  last  year,  and  I  know 
I  can  find  the  herbs  which  Chloe  wants 
near  by  on  the  shore  of  the  pond.  Let 's 
dismount  and  tie  the  horses  here,  and  you 
and  I  can  search  for  them." 

"  It 's  well  I  did  not  let  you  come  alone," 
said  the  rider  of  the  bay  mare,  laughing  as 
she  spoke.  "  Truly,  Miss  Moppet,  you  are 
a  courageous  little  maid  to  wish  to  venture 
in  these  woods.  Not  that  I  am  afraid," 
said  Betty  Wolcott  suddenly,  remembering 
the  weight  and  dignity  of  her  sixteen  years 
as  compared  with  her  little  sister,  "but 
in  these  troublous  times  father  says  it  were 
well  to  be  careful." 

"  Since  when  have  you  grown  so  staid  ?" 
said  Miss  Moppet,  shaking  her  long  yellow 
hair  back  from  her  shoulders  as  she  jumped 
off  her  pony  and  led  him  up  to  a  young  ash- 
tree,  whose  branches  allowed  of  her  securing 
him  by  the  bridle  to  one  of  them.  "  Of  all 
people  in  the  world,  Betty,  you  to  read  me  a 
lecture  on  care-taking,"  and  with  a  mischiev 
ous  laugh  the  child  fled  around  the  tree  in 
pretended  dismay,  as  Betty  sprang  to  the 


4  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

ground  and  shook  her  riding-whip  playfully 
in  her  direction. 

"Ungrateful  Moppet,"  she  said,  as  she 
tied  both  horses  to  the  tree  beside  her,  "  did 
I  not  rescue  you  from  punishment  for  dire 
naughtiness  in  the  pantry  and  beg  Aunt 
Euphemia  to  pardon  you,  and  then  go  for 
the  horses,  which  Reuben  was  too  busy  to 
saddle. 

"Yes,  my  own  dear  Betty,"  cried  the 
small  sinner,  emerging  suddenly  from  the 
friendly  shelter  and  seizing  her  round  the 
waist,  "but  you  know  this  soberness  is  but 
'  skin-deep,'  as  Chloe  says,  and  you  need 
not  cease  to  be  merry  because  you  are  six 
teen  since  yesterday.  Come,  let 's  find  the 
herbs/'  and  joining  hands  the  two  ran 
swiftly  off  to  the  shore,  Betty  tucking  up 
her  habit  with  easy  grace  as  she  went.  The 
occupant  of  the  covert  raised  his  head  care 
fully  and  looked  after  the  pair,  the  sound  of 
their  voices  growing  faint  as  they  pushed 
their  way  through  the  undergrowth  which 
intercepted  their  progress. 

"  What  a  lovely  creature  !  "  he  ejaculated, 
raising  himself  on  one  elbow.  "  I  wonder 
who  she  is,  and  how  she  comes  in  this  wild 
neighborhood.  Perhaps  I  am  not  so  very 


MISS   MOPPET  5 

far  off  my  road  after  all ;  they  must  have 
come  from  a  not  very  distant  home,  for  the 
horses  are  not  even  wet  this  warm  day. 
Egad,  that  mare  looks  as  if  she  had  plenty 
of  speed  in  her ;  't  would  not  be  a  bad  idea 
to  throw  my  leg  over  her  back  and  be  off, 
and  so  distance  those  who  even  now  may  be 
pursuing  me."  He  half  rose  as  the  thought 
occurred  to  him,  but  in  an  instant  sank 
back  under  the  leaves. 

"  How  would  her  mistress  fare  without 
her  ?  "  he  said  ruefully  "  'T  is  not  to  be 
thought  of ;  they  may  be  miles  from  home, 
even  here,  and  I  am  too  much  a  squire  of 
dames  to  take  such  unkind  advantage. 
There  must  be  some  other  way  out  of  my 
present  dilemma  than  this,"  and  rolling  over 
on  the  mixture  of  grass  and  dry  leaves  which 
formed  his  resting-place  he  lay  still  and 
began  to  ponder. 

Half  an  hour  passed  ;  the  shadows  began 
to  deepen  as  the  sun  crept  down  in  the  sky, 
and  the  horses  whinnied  at  each  other  as  if 
to  remind  their  absent  riders  that  supper- 
time  was  approaching.  But  the  girls  did 
not  return,  and  the  thoughts  which  occupied 
the  young  wanderer  were  so  engrossing  that 
he  did  not  hear  a  cry  which  began  faintly 


6  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  then  rose  to  a  shriek  agonized  enough 
to  pierce  his  reverie. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  he  cried,  springing  to 
his  feet,  as  borne  on  the  summer  wind  the 
frantic  supplication  came  to  him  — 

"  Help,  help  !  oh,  will  nobody  come !  " 
and  then  the  sobbing  cry  again  —  "  help  !  " 

The  tall  muscular  form  straightened  itself 
and  sped  through  the  bushes,  crushing  them 
down  on  either  side  with  a  strong  arm,  as  he 
went  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  cries. 

"  Courage !  I  am  coming,"  he  cried,  as, 
gaining  the  shore  of  the  pond,  he  saw  what 
had  happened.  Just  beyond  his  halting- 
place  there  was  a  jutting  bank,  and  over 
hanging  it  a  large  tree,  whose  branches 
almost  touched  the  water  beneath.  At  the 
top  of  the  bank  stood  the  elder  of  the  two 
girls ;  she  had  torn  off  the  skirt  of  her  rid 
ing-habit,  and  was  about  to  leap  down  into 
the  water  where  a  mass  of  floating  yellow 
hair  and  a  wisp  of  white  gown  told  their 
story  of  disaster.  As  he  ran  the  stranger 
flung  off  his  coat,  but  there  was  no  time  to 
divest  himself  of  his  heavy  riding-boots,  so 
in  he  plunged  and  struck  out  boldly  with 
the  air  of  a  strong  and  competent  swimmer. 

The  pond,  like  many  of  our  small  inland 


MISS   MOPPET  7 

lakes,  was  shallow  for  some  distance  from 
the  shore,  and  then  suddenly  shelved  in 
unexpected  quarters,  developing  deep  holes 
where  the  water  was  so  cold  that  its  effect 
on  a  swimmer  was  almost  dangerous.  Into 
one  of  these  depths  the  little  girl  had  evi 
dently  plunged,  and  realizing  the  cause  of 
her  sudden  disappearance  the  stranger  dived 
with  great  rapidity  at  the  spot  where  the 
golden  hair  had  gone  down.  His  first  at 
tempt  failed ;  but  as  the  child  partially  rose 
for  the  second  time,  he  caught  the  little  fig 
ure  and  with  skillful  hand  supported  her 
against  his  shoulder,  as  he  struck  out  for 
the  shore,  which  he  reached  quickly,  but 
chilled  almost  to  the  bone  from  the  coldness 
of  the  water. 

"  Do  not  be  so  alarmed,"  he  said,  as 
Betty,  with  pallid  cheeks  and  trembling 
hands,  knelt  beside  the  unconscious  child  on 
the  grass  ;  "  she  will  revive  ;  her  heart  beats 
and  she1  is  not  very  cold.  Let  me  find  my 
coat,"  and  he  stumbled  as  he  rose  to  go  in 
search  of  it. 

"  It  is  here,"  gasped  Betty ;  "  I  fetched  it 
on  my  way  down  the  slope ;  oh,  sir,  do  you 
think  she  lives?" 

For  answer  the  young  man  produced  from 


8  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

an  inner  pocket  of  his  shabby  garment  a 
small  flask,  which  he  uncorked  and  held 
toward  her. 

"  It  is  cognac,"  he  said ;  "  put  a  drop  or 
two  between  her  lips  while  I  chafe  her 
hands,  —  so  ;  see,  she  revives,"  as  the  white 
lids  quivered  for  a  second,  and  then  the 
pretty  blue  eyes  opened. 

"  Moppet,  Moppet,  my  darling,"  cried  her 
sister,  "  are  you  hurt  ?  Did  you  strike  any 
thing  in  your  fall  ?  " 

"Why,  Betty!"  ejaculated  the  child, 
"  why  are  you  giving  me  nasty  stuff  \  here 
are  the  tansy  leaves,"  and  she  held  up  her 
left  hand,  where  tightly  clenched  she  had 
kept  the  herbs,  whose  gathering  on  the  edge 
of  the  treacherous  bank  had  been  her  un 
doing. 

"You  are  a  brave  little  maid,"  said  the 
stranger,  as  he  put  the  flask  to  his  own  lips. 
"  The  shock  will  be  all  you  have  to  guard 
against,  and  even  that  is  passing ;  "  for  Miss 
Moppet  had  staggered  upon  her  feet  and 
was  looking  with  astonished  eyes  at  her 
dripping  clothing. 

"Did  I  fall,  Betty?"  she  said.  "Why 
my  gown  is  sopping  wet,  —  oh  !  have  I  been 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pond?  " 


MISS  MOPPET  9 

"  You  had  stopped  there,  sweetheart,  but 
for  this  good  gentleman,"  said  Betty,  hold 
ing  out  a  small,  trembling  hand  to  the 
stranger,  a  lovely  smile  dimpling  her  cheeks 
as  she  spoke.  "  Sir,  with  all  my  heart  I 
thank  you.  My  little  sister  had  drowned 
but  for  your  promptness  and  skill ;  I  do  not 
know  how  to  express  my  gratitude." 

"  I  am  more  than  rewarded  for  my  simple 
service,"  replied  the  young  man,  raising  the 
pretty  hand  to  his  lips  with  a  profound  bow 
and  easy  grace,  "  but  I  am  afraid  your  sister 
may  get  a  chill,  as  the  sun  is  so  low  in  the 
sky ;  and  if  I  may  venture  upon  a  suggestion, 
it  would  be  well  to  ride  speedily  to  some 
shelter  where  she  can  obtain  dry  clothing. 
If  you  will  permit  me  to  offer  you  the  cape 
of  my  riding-coat  (which  is  near  at  hand)  I 
will  wrap  her  in  it  at  once,  and  then  I  think 
she  will  be  safe  from  any  after-effects  of  her 
cold  bath  in  the  pond." 

"  Oh,  you  are  too  kind,"  cried  Betty,  as 
the  stranger  disappeared  in  the  underbrush. 
"  Moppet,  Moppet,  what  can  we  say  to  prove 
our  gratitude?  You  had  been  drowned 
twice  over  but  for  him." 

"  Ask  him  to  come  to  the  manor,"  said 
Miss  Moppet,  much  less  agitated  than  her 


10  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

sister,  and  being  always  a  small  person  of 
many  resources.  "Father  will  be  glad  to 
bid  him  welcome,  and  you  know  "  — 

"Yes,"  interrupted  Betty,  as  their  new 
friend  appeared  at  her  elbow  with  a  cape 
of  dark  blue  cloth  over  his  arm. 

"  Here  is  my  cape,"  he  said,  "  and  though 
not  very  large  it  will  cover  her  sufficiently. 
Let  me  untie  your  horses  and  help  you  to 
mount." 

"  Oh,  we  can  mount  alone,"  said  Miss 
Moppet,  who  had  by  this  time  recovered  her 
spirits,  "  but  you  must  come  home  with  us ; 
you  are  dripping  wet  yourself ;  and  if  you 
like,  you  may  ride  my  pony.  He  has  car 
ried  double  before  now,  and  I  am  but  a 
light  weight,  as  my  father  says." 

"Will  you  not  come  home  with  us?" 
asked  Betty  wistfully.  "My  father,  Gen 
eral  Wolcott,  is  away  just  now  from  the 
manor,  but  he  will  have  warm  welcome  and 
hearty  thanks,  believe  me,  for  the  strength 
and  courage  which  have  rescued  his  young 
est  child  from  yonder  grave,"  and  Betty 
shuddered  and  grew  pale  again  at  the  very 
thought  of  what  Miss  Moppet  had  escaped. 

"  General  Wolcott,"  said  the  stranger, 
with  a  start.  "  Ah,  then  you  are  his  daugh 
ters.  And  he  is  away  ?  " 


MISS   MOPPET  11 

"Yes,"  said  Betty,  as  they  walked  to 
ward  the  tree  where  the  horses  were  tied. 
"  There  has  been  a  raid  upon  our  coast  by 
Governor  Tryon  and  his  Hessians ;  we  got 
news  three  days  ago  of  the  movement  of  the 
Loyalists,  and  my  father,  with  my  brother 
Oliver,  has  gone  to  the  aid  of  the  poor 
people  at  Fairfield.  Do  you  know  of  it,  sir  ? 
Have  you  met  any  of  our  troops  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  them,"  said  the  stranger 
briefly,  with  a  half  smile  curving  his  hand 
some  mouth,  "but  they  are  not  near  this 
point "  —  and  beneath  his  breath  he  added, 
"I  devoutly  hope  not." 

"  Which  way  are  you  traveling  ?  "  asked 
Betty,  as  she  stood  beside  her  bay  mare. 
"  Surely  you  will  not  refuse  to  come  to  the 
manor  ?  Aunt  Euphemia  and  my  elder  sis 
ter  are  there,  and  we  will  give  you  warm 
welcome." 

"I  thank  you,"  said  the  stranger,  with 
great  courtesy,  "  but  I  must  be  on  my  way 
westward  before  night  overtakes  me.  Can 
you  tell  me  how  many  miles  I  am  from 
Goshen,  which  I  left  this  morning?  " 

"You  are  within  Litchfield  township," 
said  Betty.  "  We  are  some  four  miles 
from  my  father's  house.  Pray,  sir,  come 


12  AN   UNWILLING   MAID 

with  us;  I  fear  for  your  health  from  that 
sudden  plunge  into  the  icy  waters  of  our 
pond." 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  stranger,  laughing.  "  I 
were  less  than  man  to  mind  a  bath  of  this 
sort.  With  all  my  heart  I  thank  you  for 
your  solicitude  ;  that  I  am  unable  to  accept 
your  hospitality  you  must  lay  at  the  door  of 
circumstances  which  neither  you  nor  I  can 
control." 

"  But  your  cape,  sir,"  faltered  Betty,  her 
eyes  dropping,  as  she  blushed  under  the 
ardent  yet  respectful  gaze  which  sought 
hers  ;  "  how  are  we  to  return  that  ?  And 
you  may  need  it ;  I  am  sorely  afraid  you 
will  yet  suffer  for  your  kindness." 

"  Not  I,"  said  the  stranger,  pressing  her 
hand,  as  he  gave  the  reins  into  her  fingers ; 
"  as  for  the  cape,  keep  it  until  we  meet 
again,  and  —  farewell !  " 

But  Miss  Moppet  threw  her  arms  around 
his  neck  as  he  bent  over  the  gray  pony  and 
secured  the  cape  more  tightly  around  her 
small  shoulders. 

"  I  have  n't  half  thanked  you,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  will  do  so  properly  some  day,  when 
you  come  to  Wolcott  Manor.  Farewell," 
and  waving  her  little  hand  in  adieu,  the 


MISS   MOPPET  13 

horses  moved  away,  and  were  presently  lost 
to  sight  in  the  underbrush. 

"  Egad !  "  said  the  stranger,  gazing  after 
them,  as  he  picked  up  his  coat  and  started 
for  the  spot  where  he  had  left  his  hat. 
"  What  a  marvelous  country  it  is !  The 
soldiers  are  uncouth  farmer  lads,  yet  they 
fight  and  die  like  heroes,  and  the  country 
maids  have  the  speech  and  air  of  court 
ladies.  Geoffrey  Yorke,  you  have  wandered 
far  afield  ;  I  would  you  had  time  and  chance 
to  meet  that  lovely  rebel  again  ! "  and  with 
a  deep-drawn  sigh  he  plunged  farther  into 
the  woods. 


CHAPTER  II 

BULLETS    FOR   DEFENSE 

"  OH,  Betty,  Betty,"  cried  Miss  Moppet, 
as  the  pair  gained  the  more  frequented  road 
and  cantered  briskly  on  their  homeward 
way,  "  what  an  adventure  we  have  had ! 
Aunt  Euphemia  will  no  doubt  bestow  a 
sound  rating  on  me,  for,  alas ! "  —  with  a 
doleful  glance  downward  —  "see  the  drag 
gled  condition  of  my  habit." 

"  Never  mind  your  habit,  Moppet,"  said 
Betty.  "  Thank  Heaven  instead  that  you 
are  not  lying  stiff  and  cold  at  the  bottom  of 
the  pond.  You  can  never  know  the  agony  I 
suffered  when  I  saw  you  fall ;  I  should  have 
plunged  in  after  you  in  another  second." 

"  Dearest  Betty,"  said  the  child,  looking 
lovingly  at  her,  "  I  know  you  can  swim,  but 
you  never  could  have  held  me  up  as  that 
stranger  did.  Oh !  "  with  sudden  recollec 
tion,  "  we  did  not  ask  his  name  !  Did  you 
forget?" 

"  No,"  said  Betty,  "  but  when  I  told  him 


BULLETS   FOR   DEFENSE.  15 

ours  and  he  did  not  give  his  name  in  return, 
I  thought  perhaps  he  did  not  care  to  be 
known,  and  of  course  forbore  to  press  him." 

"How  handsome  he  was,"  said  Moppet ; 
"  did  you  see  his  hair  ?  And  how  tightly  it 
curled,  wet  as  it  was?  And  his  eyes  — 
surely  you  noted  his  eyes,  Betty?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Betty,  blushing  with  re 
membrance  of  the  parting  glance  the  hazel 
eyes  had  bestowed  upon  her ;  "  he  is  a  per 
sonable  fellow  enough."  , 

"Far  handsomer  than  Josiah  Hunting- 
ton,"  said  Moppet  mischievously,  "  or  even 
Francis  Plunkett." 

"  What  does  a  little  maid  like  you  know 
of  looks  ? "  said  Betty  reprovingly,  "  and 
what  would  Aunt  Euphemia  say  to  such 
comments,  I  wonder  ?  " 

"You'll  never  tell  tales  of  me,"  said 
Moppet,  with  the  easy  confidence  of  a 
spoiled  child.  "  Do  you  think  he  was  a  sol 
dier —  perhaps  an  officer  from  Fort  Trum- 
bull,  like  the  one  Oliver  brought  home  last 
April?" 

"  Very  likely,"  said  Betty.  "  Are  you 
cold,  Moppet?  I  am  so  afraid  you  may 
suffer ;  stop  talking  so  fast  and  muffle  your 
self  more  closely  in  the  cape.  We  must  be 


16  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

hastening  home,"  and  giving  her  horse  the 
whip,  they  rode  rapidly  down  hill. 

Wolcott  Manor,  the  home  of  which  Betty 
spoke,  was  a  fine,  spacious  house  situated  on 
top  of  the  hills,  where  ran  a  broad  plateau 
which  later  in  its  history  developed  into  a 
loner  and  broad  street,  on  either  side  of 

O  7 

which  were  erected  dwellings  which  have 
since  been  interwoven  with  the  stateliest 
names  in  old  Connecticut.  The  house  was 
double,  built  in  the  style  of  the  day,  with  a 
hall  running  through  it,  and  large  rooms  on 
either  side,  the  kitchen,  bakery,  and  well- 
house  all  at  the  back,  and  forming  with  the 
buttery  a  sort  of  L,  near  but  not  connecting 
with  the  different  outhouses.  It  was  shin 
gled  from  top  to  bottom,  and  the  dormer 
windows,  with  their  quaint  panes,  rendered 
it  both  stately  and  picturesque.  As  the 
girls  drew  rein  at  the  small  porch,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  mansion,  a  tall,  fine-look 
ing  woman  of  middle  age,  her  gray  gown 
tucked  neatly  up,  and  a  snowy  white  apron 
tied  around  her  shapely  waist,  appeared  at 
the  threshold  of  the  door. 

"Why,  Betty,"  she  said  in  a  surprised 
voice,  "  you  have  been  absent  so  long  that  I 
was  about  to  send  Reuben  in  search  of  you. 


BULLETS   FOR   DEFENSE  17 

The  boxes  are  undone,  and  we  need  your 
help  ;  Moppet  —  why,  what  ails  the  child  ?  " 
and  Miss  Euphemia  Wolcott  paused  in  dis 
may  as  she  surveyed  Miss  Moppet's  still 
damp  habit  and  disheveled  hair. 

"  I  've  been  at  the  very  bottom  of  Great 
Pond,"  announced  the  child,  enjoying  the 
situation  with  true  dramatic  instinct,  "and 
Betty  has  all  the  herbs  for  Chloe  safe  in  her 
basket." 

"  What  does  the  child  mean  ?  "  asked  her 
bewildered  aunt,  unfastening  the  heavy  cloth 
cape  from  the  small  shoulders,  and  perceiv 
ing  that  she  had  had  a  thorough  wetting. 

"  It  is  true,  Aunt  Euphemia,"  said  Betty, 
springing  off  her  mare  and  throwing  the 
reins  to  Reuben  as  he  came  slowly  around 
the  house.  "  We  were  on  one  of  the  hillocks 
overlooking  the  pond,  and  somehow  —  it  all 
happened  so  swiftly  that  I  cannot  tell  how 
—  but  Moppet  must  have  ventured  too  near 
the  edge,  for  the  treacherous  soil  gave  way, 
and  down  she  pitched  into  the  water  before 
I  could  put  out  hand  to  stay  her.  I  think  I 
screamed,  and  then  I  was  pulling  off  my 
habit-skirt  to  plunge  after  her  when  a  young 
man  ran  hastily  along  the  shore  below  and 
cried  out  to  me,  '  Courage ! '  and  he  threw 


18  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

off  his  coat  and  dived  down,  down,"  -  —  Betty 
shuddered  and  turned  pale,  —  "  and  then  he 
caught  Moppet's  skirt  and  held  her  up  until 
he  swam  safely  to  shore  with  her.  She  was 
quite  unconscious,  but  by  chafing  her  hands 
and  giving  her  some  spirits  (which  the 
young  stranger  had  in  his  flask)  we  recov 
ered  her,  and,  indeed,  I  think  she  is  none 
the  worse  for  her  experience,"  and  Betty 
put  both  arms  around  her  little  sister  and 
hugged  her  warmly,  bursting  into  tears, 
which  until  now  had  been  so  carefully  re 
strained. 

"  Thank  Heaven  !  "  cried  Miss  Euphemia, 
kissing  them  both.  "  You  could  never  have 
rescued  her  alone,  Betty;  perhaps  you 
might  both  have  drowned.  Where  is  the 
brave  young  man  who  came  to  your  aid  ?  I 
trust  you  gave  him  clear  directions  how  to 
reach  the  house." 

"He  would  not  come,"  answered  Betty 
simply ;  "  he  said  he  was  traveling  westward, 
and  I  thought  he  seemed  anxious  to  be  off." 

"  But  we  pressed  him,  Aunt  Euphemia," 
put  in  Moppet,  "  and  I  told  him  my  pony 
could  carry  double.  And  I  do  not  know 
how  we  will  return  his  cape  ;  do  you  ?  " 

"  You  must  come  indoors  at  once  and  get 


BULLETS   FOR   DEFENSE  19 

dry  clothing,"  said  her  aunt,  "  and  I  will 
tell  Chloe  to  make  you  a  hot  posset  lest  you 
get  a  chill ;  run  quickly,  Moppet,  and  do 
not  stand  a  moment  longer  in  those  wet 
clothes.  Now,  Betty,"  as  the  child  disap 
peared  inside,  "  have  you  any  idea  who  this 
stranger  can  be,  or  whence  he  came  ?  " 

"  I  have  not,"  said  Betty,  blushing  rosy 
red  (though  she  could  not  have  told  why) 
under  her  aunt's  close  scrutiny. 

"What  did  he  look  like?"  questioned 
Miss  Euphemia. 

"  Like  a  young  man  of  spirit,"  said  Betty, 
mischief  getting  the  better  of  her,  "  and  he 
had  a  soldierly  air  to  boot  and  spoke  with 
command." 

"I  trust  with  all  due  respect  as  well," 
said  Miss  Euphemia  gravely. 

"  Truly,  he  both  spoke  and  behaved  as  a 
gentleman  should." 

"  Do  you  think  it  could  be  Oliver's  friend, 
young  Otis  from  Boston  ? "  said  Miss  Eu 
phemia.  "  He  was  to  arrive  in  these  parts 
this  week." 

"  It  may  be  he,"  said  Betty,  "  ask  Pamela, 
she  has  met  him  ; "  and  as  she  turned  to 
enter  she  almost  fell  into  the  arms  of  a  tall, 
slender  girl  who  was  hurrying  forth  to  meet 
her. 


20  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

At  first  glance  there  was  enough  of  like 
ness  between  the  girls  to  say  that  they 
might  be  sisters,  but  the  next  made  the 
resemblance  less,  and  their  dissimilarity  of 
expression  and  coloring  increased  with  ac 
quaintance.  Both  had  the  same  slender, 
graceful  figure,  but  while  Betty  was  of 
medium  height,  Pamela  was  distinctly  taller 
than  her  sister,  and  her  pretty  head  was 
covered  with  golden  hair,  while  Betty's  lux 
uriant  locks  were  that  peculiar  shade  which 
is  neither  auburn  nor  golden,  but  a  combi 
nation  of  both,  and  her  eyes  were  hazel- 
gray,  with  long  lashes  much  darker  than  her 
hair.  Both  girls  wore  their  hair  piled  on 
top  of  the  head,  as  was  the  fashion  of  the 
time,  and  both  were  guiltless  of  powder,  but 
Pamela's  rebellious  waves  were  trained  to 
lie  as  close  as  she  could  make  them,  while 
Betty's  would  crop  out  into  little  dainty 
saucy  curls  over  her  forehead  and  down  the 
nape  of  her  slender  neck  in  a  most  bewilder 
ing  fashion.  Their  complexions,  like  Miss 
Moppet's,  were  exquisitely  satin-like  in  tex 
ture,  but  there  was  no  break  in  Pamela's 
smooth  cheeks,  whereas  Betty's  dimples 
lurked  not  only  around  her  willful  mouth, 
but  perched  high  in  her  right  cheek,  and  you 


BULLET 8  FOR  DEFENSE  21 

found  yourself  unconsciously  watching  to 
see  them  come  and  go  at  the  tricksy  maid's 
changing  will.  There  was  but  little  more 
than  a  year's  difference  in  their  ages,  yet 
Betty  seemed  almost  a  child  beside  Pamela's 
gracious  stateliness. 

"  What  is  it  all  about  ?  "  asked  the  be 
wildered  Pamela,  catching  hold  of  Betty. 
"  Moppet  dashes  into  the  kitchen,  damp  and 
moist,  and  says  she  has  been  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pond,  and  orders  hot  posset,  and  you, 
Betty,  have  an  air  of  fright  " 

"  I  should  think  she  might  well,"  inter 
rupted  Miss  Euphemia  ;  "  I  will  tell  you, 
Pamela  —  Betty,  go  upstairs  and  change 
your  habit  for  a  gown,  and  then  come  down 
to  assist  me.  We  are  about  to  mould  the 
bullets." 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Euphemia  !  "  cried  Betty,  in 
terrupting  in  her  turn,  "  I  beg  your  pardon, 
but  did  those  huge  boxes  contain  the  leaden 
statue  of  King  George,  as  my  father's  letter 
advised  us  ?  " 

"It  was  cut  in  pieces,  Betty,"  said  Pa* 
mela  demurely. 

"As  if  I  didn't  know  that,"  flashed  out 
Betty  ;  "  and  that  it  disappeared  after  the 
patriots  hauled  it  down  in  Bowling  Green, 


22  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  that  General  Washington  recommended 
it  should  be  used  for  the  cause  of  Freedom, 
and  that  we  are  all  to  help  transform  it  into 
bullets  for  our  soldiers,  —  truly,  Pamela,  I 
have  not  forgot  my  father's  account  of  it," 
and  Betty  vanished  inside  the  door  with  a 
rebellious  toss  of  her  head,  resenting  the  im 
plied  air  of  elder  sister  which  Pamela  some 
times  indulged  in. 

"  Our  little  Moppet  has  come  perilously 
near  death,"  said  Miss  Euphemia,  following 
Pamela  into  the  house.  "  She  has  been  res 
cued  from  drowning  in  Great  Pond  by  a 
gentleman  whom  Betty  had  never  seen  be 
fore.  She  describes  him  as  a  fine  personable 
youth,  and  I  think  it  may  be  Oliver's  friend, 
young  Otis,  who  is  expected  at  the  Tracys' 
on  a  visit  from  Boston." 

"  It  can  hardly  be  he,  aunt,"  said  Pamela, 
"  for  Sally  Tracy  has  just  told  me  that  he 
will  not  arrive  for  two  days,  and  moreover 
he  comes  with  Mrs.  Foster  and  Patty  War 
ren,  who  are  glad  to  take  him  as  escort  in 
these  troublous  times.  I  will  run  up  to 
Moppet,  for  the  girls  are  waiting  for  you  ; 
the  lead  got  somewhat  overheated,  and  they 
want  your  advice  as  to  using  it." 

Miss   Euphemia   went   slowly   down   the 


BULLETS   FOR  DEFENSE  23 

hall  and  through  the  large  dining-room, 
pausing  as  she  passed  to  knock  at  a  small 
door  opening  off  the  hall  into  a  sitting-room. 

"  Are  you  there,  Miss  Bidwell  ?  "  she  said, 
as  a  small  elderly  woman,  with  bent  figure 
and  pleasant,  shrewd  face,  rose  from  her 
chair  in  response.  "  Will  you  kindly  go  up 
and  see  that  Miss  Moppet  be  properly  rubbed 
and  made  dry,  and  let  her  take  her  hot  pos 
set,  and  then,  if  not  too  tired,  she  may  come 
to  me  in  the  kitchen." 

Miss  Bidwell,  who  was  at  once  house 
keeper,  manager,  and  confidential  servant 
to  the  Wolcott  household,  gave  a  cheerful 
affirmative ;  and  as  she  laid  down  the  stock 
ing  she  was  carefully  darning,  and  prepared 
to  leave  the  room,  Miss  Euphemia  resumed 
her  interrupted  walk  toward  the  kitchen. 

Standing  and  sitting  around  the  great 
kitchen  fireplace  were  a  group  of  young  peo 
ple,  whose  voices  rose  in  a  lively  chorus  as 
she  entered.  Over  the  fire,  on  a  crane,  hung 
a  large  kettle,  from  the  top  of  which  issued 
sounds  of  spluttering  and  boiling,  and  a 
young  man  was  in  the  act  of  endeavoring  to 
lift  it  amid  cries  of  remonstrance. 

"Have  a  care,  Francis,"  cried  a  pretty, 
roguish-looking  girl  in  a  gray  homespun 


24  AN    UNWILLING   MAW 

gown,  brandishing  a  wet  towel  as  she  spoke ; 
"  hot  lead  will  be  your  portion  if  you  dare 
trifle  with  that  boiling  pot.  What  are  we  to 
do  with  it,  Miss  Euphemia?"  as  that  lady 
came  forward  in  haste  ;  "  a  few  drops  of 
water  flirted  out  of  my  towel  and  must  have 
fallen  inside,  for  't  is  spluttering  in  terrific 
fashion." 

"  Shall  I  lift  it  off  the  fire?  "  asked  the 
young  man,  whose  name  was  Francis  Plun- 
kett. 

"Certainly,"  said  Miss  Euphemia,  in 
specting  the  now  tranquil  kettle  ;  "  here  are 
the  moulds  all  greased ;  gently,  now,"  as 
she  put  a  small  ladle  inside  the  pot ;  "  now 
move  it  slowly,  and  put  the  pot  here  beside 
me  on  the  table." 

"Will  they  really  turn  out  bullets?" 
asked  another  girl  in  a  whisper,  as  Sally 
Tracy  moved  a  second  big  pot  with  the  in 
tention  of  hanging  it  on  the  fire,  but  was 
prevented  by  a  tall,  silent  young  man,  who 
stopped  his  occupation  of  sorting  out  bits  of 
lead  to  assist  her. 

"  Thank  you,  Josiah,"  said  Sally.  "  Turn 
out  bullets,  Dolly  ?  —  why,  of  course,  when 
they  come  out  of  the  moulds.  What  did  you 
suppose  we  were  all  about  ?  " 


BULLETS   FOR   DEFENSE  25 

Dolly  Trumbull  (who  was  on  a  visit  to 
the  Wolcotts')  looked  shy  and  somewhat 
distressed,  and  promptly  retired  into  a 
corner,  where  she  resumed  her  conversation 
with  her  cousin,  Josiah  Huntington ;  and 
presently  Betty  came  flying  into  the  kitchen, 
her  gown  tucked  up  ready  for  work,  and 
full  of  apologies  for  her  tardy  appearance. 
Sally  Tracy,  who  was  Betty's  sworn  friend 
and  companion  in  all  her  fun  and  frolics, 
pounced  upon  her  at  once ;  but  as  Miss  Eu- 
phemia  called  them  both  to  assist  her  with 
the  moulds,  Betty  had  to  reserve  the  story  of 
her  adventure  until  a  more  propitious  mo 
ment. 

"  Has  there  been  any  news  from  Oliver 
since  he  set  forth  on  this  last  expedition  ?  " 
asked  Dolly. 

"  It  is  too  soon  yet  to  hear,"  said  Josiah, 
"  though  possibly  by  to-morrow  some  intel 
ligence  may  reach  us.  Francis  and  I  did 
not  reach  here  from  New  Haven  for  four 
days,  and  we  return  there  on  Saturday.  As 
it  was,  I  left  only  in  obedience  to  my 
father's  command,  and  brought  news  of 
Lyon's  ravaging  the  city  to  General  Wol- 
cott,  dodging  Hessians  and  outlying  maraud 
ers  by  the  way.  Do  you  stop  here  long, 


26  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Dolly,  or  will  you  have  my  escort  back  to 
Lebanon  ?  " 

"  I  came  for  a  month,"  answered  Dolly  ; 
"  I  was  ill  of  spring  fever,  and  since  then 
my  mother  thinks  this  mountain  air  benefits 
me.  But  you  go  back  to  your  duties  at  Yale 
College,  though  it 's  early  yet  for  them." 

"  My  students  and  I  have  spent  our  va 
cation  handling  cartridges,"  said  Josiah 
grimly,  for  he  was  a  tutor  at  Yale,  and  had 
done  yeoman  service  in  the  defense  of  New 
Haven.  " 'T  is  a  sorry  sight  to  see  our 
beautiful  city  now  laid  waste  ; '  but  that  our 
faith  is  strong  in  the  Continental  Congress 
and  General  Washington,  I  know  not  how 
heart  could  bear  it." 

"  Who  speaks  of  faith  ?  "  said  Pamela's 
gentle  voice,  as  she  slipped  into  a  chair  on 
Dolly's  right.  "  I  think  hope  is  ever  a  bet 
ter  watchword." 

"  Aye,"  murmured  Huntington,  as  Dolly 
summoned  courage  to  cross  the  room,  "  it  is 
one  I  will  carry  ever  with  me,  Pamela,  if  you 
bid  me  do  so." 

"  I  did  not  mean,"  faltered  Pamela,  cast 
ing  down  her  dove-like  eyes,  but  not  so 
quickly  that  she  did  not  see  the  ardent 
glance  of  her  lover,  "I  —  that  is  —  oh  yes, 


BULLETS   FOR   DEFENSE  27 

Aunt  Euphemia,"  with  sudden  change  of 
tone,  "  it  is  growing  somewhat  dark,  and 
we  had  better  leave  tlje  moulds  to  harden. 
Shall  I  tell  Miss  Bidwell  that  you  are  ready 
for  supper  ?  " 

To  which  Miss  Euphemia  returned  an 
affirmative,  and  the  whole  party  trooped 
back  to  the  dining-room,  Pamela  leading  the 
way,  and  Huntington  following  her  with  a 
half-mischievous  smile  curving  his  usually 
grave  mouth. 


CHAPTER  III 
OLIVER'S  PRISONER 

"  I  DON'T  care  anything  about  it,"  said 
Miss  Moppet  with  decision.  "  It 's  a  nasty, 
horrid  letter,  and  I  've  made  it  over  and 
over,  and  it  will  not  get  one  bit  plainer. 
Count  one,  two,  jump  one  ;  then  two  stitches 
plain  ;  it 's  no  use  at  all,  Miss  Bidwell,  I 
cannot  make  it  any  better."  And  with  a 
deep  sigh  Miss  Moppet  surveyed  her  sam 
pler,  where  she  had  for  six  weeks  been  labo 
riously  trying  to  inscribe  "  Faith  Wolcott, 
her  sampler,  aged  nine,"  with  little  success 
and  much  loss  of  temper. 

"  W  is  a  hard  letter,"  said  Miss  Bidwell, 
laying  down  one  of  the  perpetual  stockings 
with  which  she  seemed  always  supplied  for 
mending  purposes ;  "  you  will  have  to  rip 
this  out  again ;  the  first  stroke  is  too  near 
the  letter  before  it ; "  and  she  handed  the 
unhappy  sampler  back  to  the  child. 

"  It 's  always  like  that,"  said  Miss  Moppet 


OLIVER'S   PRISONER  29 

in  a  tone  of  exasperation.  "  I  think  a  sam 
pler  is  the  very  devil !  " 

"  Oh,"  said  Miss  Bidwell  in  a  shocked 
voice,  "  I  shall  have  to  report  you  as  a 
naughty  chit  if  you  use  such  language." 

"  Well,  it  just  -is,"  said  Moppet ;  "  that 's 
what  the  minister  said  in  his  sermon  Sun 
day  week,  and  you  know,  Miss  Bidwell,  that 
you  admired  it  extremely,  because  I  heard 
you  tell  Pamela  so." 

"  Admired  the  devil? "  said  Miss  Bidwell. 
"  Child,  what  are  you  talking  about?" 

"  The  sermon,"  said  Miss  Moppet,  break 
ing  her  silk  for  the  fourth  time  ;  "  the  min 
ister  said  the  devil  went  roaring  up  and 
down  the  earth  seeking  whom  he  might 
devour.  Would  n't  I  like  to  hear  him 
roar.  Do  you  conceive  it  is  like  a  bull  or  a 
lion's  roar  ?  " 

"  The  Bible  says  a  lion,"  said  Miss  Bid- 
well,  looking  all  the  more  severe  because  she 
was  so  amused. 

"  I  am  truly  sorry  for  that  poor  devil," 
said  Miss  Moppet,  heaving  a  deep  sigh. 
"  Just  think  how  tired  he  must  become, 
and  how  much  work  he  must  have  to  do. 
O — o — oh!"  —a  prolonged  scream — "he 
certainly  has  possession  of  my  sampler  " 


30  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

dancing  up  and  down  with  pain  —  "for  that 
needle  has  gone  one  inch  into  my  thumb !  " 

"  Come  here  and  let  me  bind  it  up,"  said 
Miss  Bidwell,  seizing  the  small  sinner  as  she 
whirled  past  her.  "  How  often  must  I  tell 
you  not  to  give  way  to  such  sinful  temper  ? 
And  talking  about  the  devil  is  not  proper 
for  little  girls." 

"  Why  not  just  as  well  as  for  older  folk  ?  " 
said  Moppet,  submitting  to  have  a  soft  bit 
of  rag  bound  around  the  bleeding  thumb. 
"  I  think  the  devil  ought  to  be  prayed  for 
if  he  's  such  an  abominable  sinner  —  yes,  I 
do."  And  Moppet,  whose  belief  in  a  per 
sonal  devil  was  evidently  large,  surveyed 
Miss  Bidwell  with  uncompromising  eyes. 

"  Tut !  "  said  Miss  Bidwell,  to  whom  this 
novel  idea  savored  of  ungodliness,  but  wish 
ing  to  be  lenient  toward  the  child  whose 
adoring  slave  she  was.  "  Miss  Euphemia 
would  be  shocked  to  hear  you." 

"I  shall  not  tell  her,"  said  the  child 
shrewdly,  "  but  I  am  going  to  pray  for  the 
devil  each  night,  whether  any  one  else  does 
or  not." 

"  As  you  cannot  work  any  longer  on  the 
sampler,  you  had  best  go  to  Miss  Pamela  for 
your  writing  lesson,"  said  Miss  Bidwell. 


OLIVER'S   PRISONER  31 

"  Pamela  is  out  in  the  orchard  with  Josiah 
Huntington,"  said  Moppet,  "  and  she  would 
send  me  forthwith  into  the  house  if  I  went 
near  her." 

"  Then  find  Miss  Betty  and  read  her  a 
page  in  the  primer.  You  know  you  pro 
mised  your  father  you  would  learn  to  read  it 
correctly  against  his  return." 

"  Betty  is  gossiping  in  the  garret  chamber 
with  Sally  Tracy  ;  surely  I  must  stop  with 
you,  Biddy,  dear ; "  and  Moppet  twined 
her  arms  around  Miss  Bidwell's  neck,  with 
her  little  coaxing  face  upraised  for  a  kiss. 
When  Moppet  said  "Biddy  dear"  (which 
was  her  baby  abbreviation  for  the  old  ser 
vant),  she  became  irresistible  ;  so  Miss  Bid- " 
well,  much  relieved  at  dropping  so  puzzling 
a  theological  question  as  the  propriety  of 
supplications  for  the  wellbeing  of  his  Sa 
tanic  majesty,  proposed  that  she  should  tell 
Miss  Moppet  "  a  story,"  which  met  with 
delighted  assent  from  the  little  girl. 

Miss  Bidwell's  stories,  which  dated  back 
for  many  years  and  always  began  with 
"  when  I  was  a  little  maid,"  were  never  fail 
ing  in  interest,  besides  being  somewhat 
lengthy,  as  Moppet  insisted  upon  minute 
detail,  and  invariably  corrected  her  when 


32  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

she  chanced  to  omit  the  smallest  particular. 
That  the  story  had  been  often  told  did  not 
make  it  lose  any  of  its  interest,  and  the 
shadows  of  the  great  elm  which  overhung 
the  sitting-room  windows  grew  longer,  while 
the  sun  sank  lower  and  lower  unheeded, 
until  Miss  Bidwell,  at  the  most  thrilling- 
part  of  her  tale,  where  a  bloodthirsty  and 
evil-minded  Indian  was  about  to  appear,  sud 
denly  laid  down  her  work  and  exclaimed :  — 

"  Hark !  surely  there  is  some  one  coming 
up  the  back  path,"  and  rising  as  she  spoke, 
she  hurried  out  to  the  side  porch,  closely 
followed  by  Moppet,  who  said  to  herself, 
with  all  a  child's  vivid  and  dramatic  imagi 
nation,  "  Perhaps  it 's  an  Indian  coming  to 
tomahawk  us  in  our  beds !  "  which  thought 
caused  her  to  seize  a  fold  of  Miss  Bidwell's 
gown  tightly  in  her  hand. 

As  they  came  into  the  hall  they  were 
joined  by  Miss  Euphemia,'  who  had  also 
heard  the  sounds  of  approach ;  and  as  they 
emerged  from  the  house  two  tall  figures, 
dusty  and  travel-worn,  confronted  them,  with 
Reuben  following  in  their  rear. 

"  Oliver !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Euphemia,  as 
she  recognized  her  youngest  nephew  in  one 
of  the  wayfarers,  "  whence  come  you,  and 


MISS    EUPHEMIA    MEETS    OLIVER   AND    HIS    PRISONER 


OLIVERS   PRISONER  33 

what  news?  Where  is  your  honored  fa 
ther?" 

"My  father,  madam,"  said  Oliver  Wol- 
cott,  uncovering  his  head  as  he  motioned  to 
Reuben  to  take  his  place  near  his  compan 
ion,  "  my  father  is  some  thirty  miles  behind 
me,  but  hastening  in  this  direction.  What 
news?  —  Fairfield  burnt,  half  its  inhabit 
ants  homeless,  but  Tryon's  marauders  put 
to  flight  and  our  men  in  pursuit." 

"  And  who  is  this  gentleman?  "  said  Miss 
Euphemia,  as  Oliver  kissed  her  cheek  and 
stepped  back. 

"  'T  is  more  than  I  can  answer,"  said 
Oliver,  "  for  not  one  word  concerning  him 
self  can  I  obtain  from  him.  He  is  my  pris 
oner,  Aunt  Euphemia ;  I  found  him  lurking 
in  the  woods  ten  miles  away  this  morning, 
and  should  perhaps  have  let  him  pass  had 
not  a  low-lying  branch  of  a  tree  knocked  off 
his  hat,  when  I  recognized  him  for  one  of 
Try  oil's  crew." 

"  Speak  more  respectfully,  sir,"  said  the 
stranger  suddenly,  "  to  me,  if  not  to  those 
whom  you  term  '  Tryon's  crew.'  " 

"  I  grant  the  respect  due  your  arm  and 
strength,"  said  Oliver,  "  for  you  came  near 
leaving  me  in  the  smoke  and  din  of  Fair- 


34  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

field  when  you  gave  me  this  blow,"  and  he 
touched  the  left  side  of  his  head,  where 
could  be  seen  some  clotted  blood  among  his 
hair.  "  Come,  sir,  nay  aunt  has  asked  the 
question.  Do  you  not  reply  to  a  lady?  " 

"  The  gibe  is  unworthy  of  you,"  said  the 
other,  lifting  the  hat  which  had  been  drawn 
down  closely  over  his  brow ;  and  I "  — 

"  Oh,  Oliver,  't  is  my  good  kind  gentle 
man  !  "  cried  Moppet,  darting  forward  and 
seizing  the  stranger  by  the  hand;  "he 
plunged  into  Great  Pond  last  night  and 
pulled  me  forth  when  I  was  nearly  drown 
ing,  and  we  begged  him  to  come  home  with 
us,  did  we  not,  Betty?"  —seeing  her  sister 
standing  in  the  doorway.  "Betty,  Betty, 
come  and  tell  Oliver  he  has  made  a  mis 
take." 

A  smile  lit  up  the  stranger's  handsome 
face  as  he  bowed  low  to  Betty,  who  came 
swiftly  to  his  side  as  she  recognized  him. 

"  Will  you  not  bring  the  gentleman  in, 
Oliver  ?  "  she  said.  "  The  thanks  which  are 
his  due  can  hardly  be  well  spoken  on  our 
doorstep,"  and  Betty  drew  herself  up,  and 
waved  her  hand  like  the  proud  little  maid  she 
was,  her  eyes  sparkling,  her  breast  heaving 
with  the  excitement  she  strove  to  suppress. 


OLIVER'S   PRISONER  35 

Oliver  looked  from  Moppet  to  Betty,  in  be 
wilderment  then  back  at  his  prisoner,  who 
seemed  the  most  unconcerned  of  the  group. 

"  You  are  right,  Betty,"  said  Miss  Eu- 
phemia,  beginning  to  understand  the  situa 
tion.  "  Will  you  walk  in,  sir,  and  let  me 
explain  to  my  nephew  how  greatly  we  are 
indebted  to  you?"  And  she  led  the  way 
into  the  mansion,  the  others  following,  and 
opened  the  door  of  the  parlor  on  the  left, 
Reuben,  obedient  to  a  sign  from  Oliver, 
remaining  with  Miss  Bidwell  in  the  hall. 

The  stranger  declined  the  chair  which 
Oliver  courteously  offered  him,  and  remained 
standing  near  Betty,  Moppet  clinging  to  his 
hand  and  looking  up  gratefully  into  his 
face  while  Miss  Euphemia  related  to  her 
nephew  the  story  of  Moppet's  rescue  from 
her  perilous  accident  of  the  previous  day. 

"  A  brave  deed !  "  cried  Oliver  impetu 
ously,  as  he  advanced  with  outstretched 
hand  toward  his  prisoner,  "  and  with  all  my 
heart,  sir,  I  thank  you.  Forgive  my  pet 
tish  speech  of  a  moment  since ;  you  were 
right  to  reprove  me.  No  one  appreciates  a 
gallant  foe  more  than  I ;  and  though  the 
fortune  of  war  has  to-day  made  you  my  pris 
oner,  to-morrow  may  make  me  yours." 


36  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  the  stranger,  giving 
his  hand  as  frankly  in  return.  "  Believe  me, 
my  plunge  in  the  pond  was  hardly  worth  the 
stress  you  are  kind  enough  to  lay  upon  it, 
and  but  for  the  mischance  to  my  little  friend 
here,"  smiling  at  Miss  Moppet,  who  regarded 
him  with  affectionate  eyes,  "  is  an  affair  of 
little  moment.  May  I  ask  where  you  will 
bestow  me  for  the  night,  and  also  the  privi 
lege  of  a  dip  in  cold  water,  as  I  am  too 
soiled  and  travel-worn  to  sit  in  the  presence 
of  ladies,  even  though  your  prisoner.  " 

"  Prisoner !  "  echoed  Betty,  with  a  start. 
"  Surely,  Oliver,  you  will  not  hold  as  a  pris 
oner  the  man  who  saved  our  little  Moppet's 
life,  and  that,  too  (though  he  makes  so  light 
of  it)  at  the  risk  of  his  own  ?  " 

"  You  will  let  him  go  free,  brother  Oli 
ver,"  cried  Moppet,  flying  to  the  young  offi 
cer's  side  ;  "  you  surely  will  not  clap  him 
into  jail  ?  " 

"  It  was  my  purpose,"  said  Oliver,  look 
ing  from  one  to  the  other,  "  to  confine  you 
until  to-morrow  and  then  carry  you  to  head 
quarters,  where  General  Putnam  will  de 
termine  your  ultimate  fate.  I  certainly  rec 
ognize  you  as  the  author  of  this  cut  on  my 
head.  Do  you  belong  to  the  British  army  or 


OLIVER'S  .PRISONER  37 

are  you  a  volunteer  accompanying  Tryon  in 
his  raid  upon  our  innocent  and  unoffending 
neighbors  at  Fairfield  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  said  the  other  haughtily,  "  I  par 
don  much  to  your  youthful  patriotism,  which 
looks  upon  us  as  invaders.  My  name  is 
Geoffrey  Yorke,  and  I  have  the  honor  to 
bear  his  majesty's  commission  as  captain  in 
the  Sixty-fourth  Regiment  of  Foot." 

Betty  gave  a  faint  exclamation.  Oliver 
Wolcott  stepped  forward. 

"  Captain  Yorke,"  he  said,  "  I  regret 
more  than  I  can  say  my  inability,  which  you 
yourself  will  recognize,  to  bid  you  go  forth 
free  and  in  safety.  My  duty  is  unfortu 
nately  but  too  plain.  I,  sir,  serve  the  Con 
tinental  Congress,  and  like  you  hold  a  cap 
tain's  commission.  I  should  be  false  alike 
to  my  country  and  my  oath  of  allegiance 
did  I  permit  you  to  escape ;  but  there  is  one 
favor  I  can  offer  you ;  give  me  your  parole, 
and  allow  me  and  my  family  the  pleasure  of 
holding  you  as  a  guest,  not  prisoner,  while 
under  our  roof." 

Geoffrey  Yorke  hesitated ;  he  opened  his 
lips  to  speak,  when  some  instinct  made  him 
glance  at  Betty,  who  stood  directly  behind 
her  brother.  Her  large,  soft  eyes  were  fixed 


38  AN   UNWILLING  MAID 

on  his  with  most  beseeching  warning,  and 
she  raised  her  dainty  finger  to  her  lips  as 
she  slowly,  almost  imperceptibly,  shook  her 
head. 

"Captain  Wolcott,"  he  said,  "I  fully 
appreciate  your  kindness  and  the  motive 
which  prompts  it.  I  have  landed  on  these 
shores  but  one  short  month  ago,  and  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  ordered  me  —  but  these  par 
ticulars  will  not  interest  you.  I  thank  you 
for  your  offer,  but  I  decline  to  take  parole, 
and  prefer  instead  the  fortunes  of  war." 

"  Then,  sir,  I  have  no  choice,"  said  Oliver. 
"Aunt  Euphemia,  will  you  permit  me  to 
use  the  north  chamber  ?  I  will  conduct  you 
there,  Captain  Yorke,  and  shall  see  that  you 
are  well  guarded  for  the  night."  And  with 
a  courtly  bow  to  the  ladies  Geoffrey  Yorke 
followed  his  captor  from  the  room,  as  Mop 
pet  threw  herself  .into  Betty's  arms  and 
sobbed  bitterly. 


CHAPTER  IV 

FKIEND    OK   FOE 

BETTY  WOLCOTT  sat  alone  in  her  own 
room,  thinking  intently.  The  windows  were 
all  open,  and  the  soft  night  air  blew  the 
dainty  curls  off  her  white  forehead  and  dis 
closed  the  fact  of  her  very  recent  tears. 
Never,  in  all  her  short,  happy  life,  had  Betty 
been  so  moved  as  now,  for  the  twin  passions 
of  gratitude  and  loyalty  were  at  war  within 
her,  and  she  realized,  with  a  feeling  akin  to 
dismay,  that  she  must  meet  the  responsibility 
alone,  that  those  of  her  household  were  all 
arrayed  against  her. 

"  If  my  father  were  but  at  home,"  said 
Betty  to  herself,  "  he  would  know  and  un 
derstand,  but  Oliver  will  not  listen,  no,  not 
even  when  I  implored  him  to  keep  Captain 
Yorke  close  prisoner  here  for  two  days,  by 
which  time  my  father  is  sure  to  arrive. 
Aunt  Euphemia  is  too  timid  and  Pamela  is 
much  the  same  ;  as  Josiah  happens  to  agree 
perfectly  with  Oliver,  Pamela  could  never 


40  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

be  induced  to  see  how  cruel  it  is  to  repay 
our  debt  in  this  way.  Oliver  is  but  a  boy," 
—  and  Betty's  lips  curved  in  scorn  over  her 
brother's  four  years'  seniority,  —  "  and  — 
and  —  oh !  I  am,  indeed,  astray.  What, 
here  I  am,  one  of  the  loyal  Wolcotts,  —  a 
family  known  all  through  the  land  as  true 
to  the  cause  of  Freedom  and  the  Declara 
tion,  —  and  here  I  sit  planning  how  to  let  a 
British  officer,  foe  to  my  country,  escape 
from  my  father's  house.  I  wonder  the  walls 
do  not  open  and  fall  on  me,"  and  poor  Betty 
gazed  half  fearfully  overhead,  as  if  she  ex 
pected  the  rafters  would  descend  upon  the 
author  of  such  treasonable  sentiments.  "  But 
something  must  be  done,"  she  thought  rap 
idly.  "  I  care  not  whether  he  be  friend  or 
foe,  I  take  the  consequences ;  be  mine  the 
blame,"  and  she  lifted  her  pretty  head  with 
an  air  of  determination,  as  a  soft  knock  fell 
upon  her  chamber  door ;  but  before  she 
could  rise  to  open  it,  the  latch  was  raised 
and  a  little  figure,  all  in  white,  crept  in 
side. 

"  I  can't  sleep,-  Betty,"  sobbed  Moppet, 
as  her  sister  gathered  the  child  in  her  arms ; 
"  it 's  too,  too  dreadful.  Will  General  Put 
nam  hang  my  dear,  kind  gentleman  as  the 


FRIEND  OR  FOE  41 

British  hanged  Captain  Nathan  Hale,  and 
shall  we  never,  never  see  him  more?  " 

"  Dear  heart,"  said  Betty,  smoothing  the 
yellow  hair,  and  tears  springing  again  to  her 
eyes  as  she  thought  of  the  brave,  manly  face 
of  her  country's  foe.  "  No,  Moppet,  Cap 
tain  Yorke  is  not  a  spy,  as,  alas !  was  poor 
Nathan  Hale,  but  "  — 

"  Betty,"  whispered  Moppet,  so  low  that 
she  was  evidently  alarmed  at  her  own  daring, 
"  why  can't  we  let  him  go  free  and  never 
tell  Oliver  a  word  about  it  ?  " 

"  How  did  yon  come  to  think  of  that  ?  " 
Said  Betty,  astonished. 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  the  devil  prompting 
toe,"  said  Moppet,  with  a  sigh,  partly  over 
her  own  iniquity,  and  part  in  wonderment 
as  to  whether  that  overworked  personage 
was  somewhere  soaring  in  the  air  near  at 
hand ;  "  but  I  always  thought  the  British 
were  big  ogres,  with  fierce  eyes  and  red 
whiskers,  and  I  am  sure  my  good,  kind  gen 
tleman  is  very  like  ourselves." 

Betty  was  betrayed  into  a  low  laugh. 
Moppet  was  always  original,  but  this  was 
delicious. 

"  No,  child,"  she  said  softly,  "  the  British 
are  some  bad,  some  good,  and  there  are  no 


42  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

doubt  cruel  men  to  be  found  in  all  wars. 
Moppet,  as  you  came  by  the  north  door, 
whom  did  you  see  on  guard  in  the  hall?  " 

"  Josiali  Huntington,"  said  Moppet 
promptly  ;  "  but  you  heard  what  Oliver  said 
at  supper  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Betty,  "  Oliver  was  so 
weary  that  Josiah  was  to  watch  until  twelve 
o'clock ;  then,  at  midnight,  Reuben  was  to 
guard  the  hall  until  four  in  the  morning, 
when  Oliver  would  take  his  place  until 
breakfast.  Did  you  note  the  time  on  the 
hall  clock  ?  " 

"  It  was  half  past  eleven,"  said  Moppet ; 
"  the  half  hour  sounded  as  I  rapped." 

Betty  sat  pondering  for  a  moment,  then 
she  slid  Moppet  gently  from  her  lap  to  the 
floor  and  rose. 

"Moppet,"  she  said  gravely,  "you  are  a 
little  maid,  but  you  have  a  true  heart,  and  I 
believe  you  can  keep  a  secret.  I  am  going 
to  try  to  release  Captain  Yorke,  and  I 
think  you  can  help  me.  I  bind  you  to  keep 
silent,  except  to  our  dear  and  honored  fa 
ther,  and  even  to  him  you  shall  not  speak 
until  I  permit  you.  Promise  me,  dear 
heart?" 

"  I  promise,"  said  Moppet  solemnly,  and 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  43 

Betty  knew  that,  no  matter  what  happened, 
she  could  depend  on  her  devoted  little  sister. 

"  Moppet,"  said  Betty,  "  I  have  a  plan, 
but  't  is  a  slender  one.  Do  you  recollect 
how  close  the  great  elm-tree  boughs  come  to 
your  window  ?  " 

"  I  can  put  out  my  hand  and  nearly  reach 
them,"  said  Moppet;  "you  remember  Reu 
ben  cut  the  bough  nearest,  but  oh,  Betty, 
the  tree  has  a  limb  which  runs  an  arm's 
length  only  from  the  north  chamber." 

"  So  I  thought,"  answered  Betty,  who  was 
busily  engaged  in  changing  her  light  sum 
mer  gown  for  one  of  homespun  gray ;  "  and 
now,  Moppet,  you  and  I  must  go  into  your 
room  for  the  next  part  of  my  plot.  I  must 
speak  to  Captain  Yorke,  and  can  you  guess 
how  I  shall  manage  to  do  it  ?  " 

Moppet's  eyes  grew  large  and  round  with 
excitement.  "  I  know,"  she  whispered 
breathlessly,  "  through  my  doll's  dungeon. 
Oh,  Betty,  how  lucky  't  is  that  Oliver  never 
once  dreamed  of  that !  " 

"  I  doubt  if  he  even  knows  its  existence," 
said  Betty.  "  There  goes  the  clock,"  as 
the  slow,  solemn  voice  of  the  timepiece 
sounded  out  on  the  night.  "It  is  twelve 
o'clock,  and  Reuben  will  be  coming  upstairs 


44  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

from  the  kitchen.  Hark !  "  —  extinguishing 
her  candle  and  opening  her  door  softly. 
"  Josiah  has  gone  to  the  turn  on  the  stairs, 
and  is  speaking  to  Reuben  ;  quick,  Moppet, 
if  you  come  still  as  a  mouse  they  will  not 
see  us  before  we  can  gain  your  door,"  and 
with  swift,  soft  steps  the  two  small  figures 
stole  across  the  hall  in  the  semi-darkness 
which  the  night  lamp  standing  near  the 
great  clock  but  served  to  make  visible,  and 
in  another  second,  panting  and  eager,  they 
stood  safely  within  Moppet's  chamber,  cling 
ing  to  each  other,  as  they  quickly  fastened 
the  latch. 

Moppet's  chamber  was  a  small  one,  and 
occupied  the  centre  of  the  house,  Miss  Eu- 
phemia's  being  upon  one  side,  and  the  north 
chamber  (as  one  of  the  great  rooms  was 
called)  upon  the  other.  The  great  chimney 
of  the  mansion  ran  up  between  the  large  and 
small  room,  and  what  Moppet  called  her 
"  doll's  dungeon  "  was  a  hollow  place,  just 
high  enough  for  the  child  to  reach,  in  the 
back  of  the  chimney.  For  some  purpose  of 
ventilation  there  was  an  opening  from  this 
aperture  into  the  north  chamber.  It  was 
covered  with  a  piece  of  movable  iron ;  and 
in  summer,  when  no  fire  was  used  in  that 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  4o 

part  of  the  house,  Moppet  took  great  de 
light  in  consigning  her  contumacious  doll 
(a  rag  baby  of  large  size  and  much  plain 
ness  of  feature)  to  what  she  was  pleased  to 
call  her  "  dungeon."  To-night  Betty's  quick 
wit  had  divined  what  an  important  factor 
the  aperture  might  prove  to  her,  and  directly 
she  had  secured  the  door,  she  walked  softly 
toward  the  chimney,  and  felt  in  the  darkness 
for  the  movable  bit  of  iron  which  filled  the 
back. 

When  Geoffrey  Yorke  had  finished  the 
ample  and  delicious  supper  with  which  Miss 
Euphemia's  hospitable  and  pitying  soul  had 
furnished  him,  he  lighted  his  candle  and 
made  thorough  search  of  his  temporary 
prison  to  ascertain  whether  he  could  escape 
therefrom.  Betty's  gesture  of  disapproval 
when  he  was  about  to  give  his  parole  had 
seemed  to  promise  him  assistance ;  could  it 
be  possible  that  the  lovely  little  rebel's  heart 
was  so  moved  with  pity  ?  *' 

u  Sweet  Betty,"  thought  Geoffrey,  "  was 
ever  maid  so  grateful  for  a  small  service ! 
I  wish  with  all  my  soul  I  might  have  chance 
and  opportunity  to  do  her  a  great  one,  for 
never  have  I  seen  so  bewitching  and  dainty 
a  creature,"  and  Geoffrey's  heart  gave  a 


46  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

mad  leap  as  he  remembered  the  tearful,  be 
seeching  glance  which  Betty  had  bestowed 
upon  him  as  Oliver  had  conducted  him  from 
her  presence. 

The  windows,  of  which  there  were  two, 
looking  north,  received  his  first  attention,  but 
he  found  them  amply  secured  ;  and  although 
a  strong  arm  might  wrench  them  open,  it 
would  be  attended  by  such  noise  as  could 
not  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  his  guard 
posted  outside  the  door.  This  reflection 
prompted  him  to  inspect  the  door ;  and  dis 
covering  an  inside  bolt  as  well  as  the  outer 
one,  he  drew  it,  thus  assuring  his  privacy 
from  intrusion.  The  large  chimney  was  his 
next  point  of  investigation  ;  and  although  the 
flue  seemed  somewhat  narrow,  Geoffrey  de 
cided  that  it  afforded  some  slight  chance, 
provided  he  had  the  means  of  descent  when 
once  he  reached  the  roof.  Back  to  the  win 
dows  again ;  yes,  the  great  elm  of  which 
Moppet  had  spoken  stood  like  a  tall  sentinel 
guarding  the  mansion,  and  Geoffrey  felt 
confident  that  he  could  crawl  from  roof  to 
tree  and  thus  reach  the  ground.  To  be  sure, 
it  was  most  hazardous  ;  there  was  the  chance 
of  some  one  sleeping  in  the  chambers  near 
who  might  hear  even  so  slight  a  noise  ;  he 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  47 

might  become  wedged  in  the  chimney,  or  — 
pshaw!  one  must  risk  life,  if  need  be,  for 
liberty  ;  and  here  Geoffrey  smiled,  as  it  oc 
curred  to  him  that  this  was  what  these  very 
colonists  were  engaged  in  doing,  and  for  a 
moment  the  British  officer  felt  a  throb  of 
sympathy  hitherto  unknown  to  him.  He 
had  landed  at  New  York  but  a  month  be 
fore,  filled  with  insular  prejudices  and  con 
tempt  for  these  country  lads  and  farmers, 
whom  he  imagined  composed  the  Continental 
army  ;  but  the  fight  at  Fairfield,  which  was 
carried  on  by  the  Hessians  with  a  brutality 
that  disgusted  him,  and  the  encounter  with 
such  a  family  as  this  under  whose  roof  he 
was,  began  to  open  his  eyes,  and  he  acknow- 
leged  frankly  to  himself  that  young  Oliver 
Wolcott  was  both  a  soldier  and  a  gentle 
man. 

"  The  boy  looked  every  inch  a  soldier," 
thought  Geoffrey,  "  when  he  refused  his  sis 
ter's  pleading ;  faith,  he  is  made  of  firm  stuff 
to  withstand  her.  Oh,  Betty,  Betty  !  I  won 
der  if  the  fortunes  of  war  will  ever  let  me 
see  your  face  again,"  and  with  a  sigh  com 
pounded  of  many  things,  Geoffrey  picked 
up  a  book  that  was  lying  on  the  table,  and 
resolved  to  read  until  it  should  be  far  on 


48  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

into  the  night,  when  he  would  make  a  bold 
attempt  to  escape. 

The  clock  on  the  stairs  struck  twelve,  and 
Geoffrey,  roused  from  the  light  slumber  into 
which  he  had  fallen,  heard  the  steps  outside 
his  door  as  Josiah  Huntington  was  joined 
by  Reuben,  who  was  to  relieve  his  guard, 
and  straightened  himself,  with  a  long  breath, 
as  he  rose  from  his  chair.  As  he  did  so,  he 
became  conscious  of  a  slight,  very  slight, 
noise  in  the  direction  of  the  chimney ;  and 
turning  his  eyes  toward  it,  a  soft  whisper 
reached  his  ear. 

"  Captain  Yorke,"  murmured  the  sweetest 
voice  in  the  world ;  and  as  the  slight  grating- 
noise  ceased,  to  his  amazement  a  little  white 
hand  beckoned  him  to  approach  a  small 
aperture,  which  he  now  perceived  in  the 
bricks  about  four  feet  from  the  floor.  Very 
softly  Geoffrey  obeyed  the  summons,  and 
cautiously  made  his  way  to  the  chimney. 

"  Kneel  down  and  put  your  ear  near  me," 
said  Betty,  and  the  tall  soldier  dropped  on 
one  knee  obediently ;  "  be  very  careful,  for 
though  Aunt  Euphemia's  chamber  is  on  this 
side,  and  she  is  usually  a  sound  sleeper,  it 
might  be  our  ill  fortune  that  to-night  she 
would  wake.  I  have  made  up  my  mind, 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  49 

sir;  I  cannot  keep  you  prisoner  under  a 
roof  that  but  for  you  might  be  mourning 
my  little  sister  dead." 

"  I  pray  you  say  no  more  of  that,"  inter 
rupted  Geoffrey  softly.  "  I  am  more  than 
repaid  by  your  interest  in  my  unhappy  con 
dition." 

"  It  may  be  wrong,  it  doubtless  is,"  said 
Betty,  sighing,  "but  I  have  two  plans  for 
your  escape.  Tell  me,  are  your  windows 
securely  fastened  ?  " 

"Too  strongly  to  be  tampered  with  ex 
cept  by  making  noise  that  is  certain  to  be 
overheard,"  returned  Geoffrey. 

"  Then  we  must  try  other  means  ;  if  you 
can  but  manage  to  scale  the  chimney,  —  and 
I  think  there  are  still  some  pegs  inside 
which  Reuben  put  there  in  the  spring  when 
he  went  up  after  burning  it  out,  —  if  you 
can  reach  the  roof  by  the  chimney  you  will 
find  on  the  south  side,  close  to  the  chimney 
itself,  a  trap-door  which  lets  down  by  a  lad 
der  into  our  garret.  The  ladder  is  station 
ary,  and  I  will  meet  you  there  at  its  foot, 
and  from  the  garret  there  is  a  back  stair 
way,  down  which  you  may  creep  to  the 
buttery,  and  once  there  't  is  but  a  step  out 
side  when  I  open  the  door." 


50  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  God  bless  you,"  whispered  Geoffrey, 
feeling  a  mad  desire  to  kiss  the  pretty  pink 
ear  and  soft  cheek  which  he  could  just  see 
by  the  dim  light  of  Miss  Moppet's  candle ; 
"  shall  I  start  at  once  ?  " 

"  No,"  returned  Betty,  "  Josiah  Hunting- 
ton  has  but  just  sought  his  chamber,  and  he 
will  be  watchful.  Wait  until  you  hear  the 
old  clock  on  the  staircase  strike  three ;  that 
is  the  hour,  I  have  been  told,  when  all  sleep 
most  soundly.  Then  Moppet  will  tell  you  if 
all  goes  right,  for  I  shall  be  waiting  for  you, 
as  I  said,  above ;  "  and  with  a  soft  "  be  very, 
very  careful  to  make  no  noise,"  Betty 
moved  away  from  the  "  doll's  dungeon  "  and 
Yorke  bounded  to  his  feet. 

"  Now,  Moppet,"  said  Betty  softly,  "  let 
me  wrap  you  well  in  your  woolen  habit,  lest 
you  take  cold." 

"  Oh,  Betty  darling,"  whispered  the  child, 
"how  will  you  ever  gain  the  garret  stairs 
when  Reuben  is  watching  ?  He  will  be  sure 
to  think  it  strange ;  can  I  not  go  for  you  ?  " 

"  No,  never,"  said  Betty  tenderly.  "  I 
will  slip  by  Reuben,  and  you  must  not  fret. 
Sit  here  on  my  knee  and  go  fast  asleep  until 
I  wake  you." 

Moppet  nestled  her  little  head  down  obe- 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  51 

diently  on  Betty's  shoulder;  but  try  hard 
though  she  did  to  keep  her  eyes  wide  open, 
sleep  at  last  overcame  her,  —  sleep  so  pro 
found  after  all  this  excitement  that  Betty 
was  able  to  lay  her  softly  upon  her  bed 
without  awaking,  and  for  the  remainder  of 
those  long  hours  Betty  kept  her  vigil  alone. 
It  was  nervous  work ;  for  determined  though 
she  was  to  release  Yorke,  Betty  possessed  a 
most  sensitive  and  tender  conscience,  and 
love  for  her  country  and  her  people  was  as 
the  air  she  breathed.  It  proved  the  tena 
city  of  her  purpose  and  the  strength  of  her 
will  that,  notwithstanding  her  many  misgiv 
ings,  when  she  heard  the  clock  sound  the 
quarter  she  rose  from  her  low  seat  by  the 
window,  where  she  had  been  gazing  out  into 
the  night,  and  whispered  softly  to  Moppet 
that  it  was  time  to  wake.  The  child  sprang 
up,  alert  and  quick  as  Betty  herself,  and 
listened  to  her  sister's  last  warning  instruc 
tions  to  have  no  fear,  but  wait  quietly  for 
her  return,  and  when  the  clock  struck  the 
hour  to  whisper  through  the  hole  in  the 
chimney  to  Yorke  that  she  had  gone. 

Very  softly,  her  slippers  held  tightly  in 
her  hand,  Betty  pulled  up  the  latch  of  the 
bedroom  door  and  stepped  into  the  almost 


52  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

dark  hall.  The  night  lamp  had  partly  died 
out,  but  there  was  still  enough  of  its  flicker 
ing  light  to  permit  her,  when  her  eyes  grew 
accustomed  to  it,  to  see  the  dim  outline  of 
Reuben's  figure  sitting  on  a  stool  at  the 
door  of  the  north  chamber.  In  order  to 
reach  the  garret  from  this  part  of  the  house 
she  must  go  directly  down  the  hall  to  where 
it  parted  at  the  L,  where  the  stairs  reaching 
the  garret  were  shut  off  by  a  door,  on  the 
other  side  of  which  was  a  square  landing, 
where  you  could  turn  down  and  descend 
directly  from  the  garret  to  the  buttery. 
Once  past  Reuben,  she  would  feel  com 
paratively  safe,  for  although  Oliver's  room 
was  opposite  he  was  too  weary  to  be  wake 
ful.  It  took  scarcely  a  minute  to  creep 
toward  Reuben,  and  Betty  drew  a  quick 
breath  of  relief  when  she  perceived  that  the 
farmer-bred  lad,  unaccustomed  to  night 
watches,  and  feeling  that  his  prisoner  was 
secure  behind  the  bolted  door,  had  fallen 
fast  asleep.  Another  minute  and  she  had 
fairly  flown  through  the  hall  and  reached 
the  door  of  the  garret  stairs ;  she  recollected 
that  the  latch  had  a  troublesome  creak  occa 
sionally  ;  indeed,  she  had  noticed  it  only  that 
very  day,  as  she  and  Sally  Tracy  had 


FRIEND    OR  FOE  53 

mounted  to  their  eyrie  in  the  big  dormer 
window  of  the  garret,  where  safe  from  all 
ears  they  were  wont  to  confide  their  girlish 
secrets  to  each  other. 

"  Pray  Heaven  it  creak  not  to-night,"  said 
Betty  to  herself  as  she  gently  and  steadily 
pulled  the  handle  of  the  latch  and  saw  the 
dreaded  door  open  to  her  hand.  Inside 
stepped  Betty,  and  made  breathless  pause 
while  she  closed  it,  and  the  amiable  latch 
fell  softly  down  again  into  its  place.  Swift 
as  a  flash  the  girlish  figure  flitted  up  the 
winding  narrow  stairs,  and  gasping  but  tri 
umphant  Betty  seated  herself  on  the  lowest 
step  of  the  trap-ladder  to  await  the  coming 
of  Geoffrey  Yorke. 

In  the  bedroom  below,  Miss  Moppet,  whose 
soul  was  thrilling  with  mingled  delight  and 
terror  at  being  an  actor  in  a  "  real  story," 
waited  as  she  was  told  until  she  heard  the 
deep  voice  of  the  clock,  sounding  rather 
more  awful  than  usual,  say  "  one,  two, 
three  !  "  and  then  tiptoeing  over  the  bare 
floor  she  opened  with  small  trembling  fin 
gers  the  tiny  aperture  and  whispered,  "  Are 
you  there?"  starting  back  half  frightened 
as  the  instant  answer  came,  close  beside  her  : 

"  Yes,  is  it  time  ?  " 


54  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  Betty  is  in  the  garret  by  now,"  she 
faltered.  "  Oh,  sir,  be  careful  and  fare  you 
well ! " 

For  answer  Geoffrey  Yorke  bent  down, 
and  taking  the  small  cold  fingers  extended 
to  him,  pressed  a  kiss  on  them,  and  with  a 
soft  "  farewell "  began  his  passage  up  the 
chimney. 

It  was  no  such  very  difficult  task  he 
found,  to  his  satisfaction,  for  Betty  was 
right,  and  by  feeling  carefully  with  his 
hands  he  perceived  the  friendly  pegs  which 
Reuben  had  inserted,  and  of  which  Oliver 
had  no  knowledge,  else  he  would  not  have 
trusted  so  agile  and  strong  a  prisoner  within 
their  reach.  Geoffrey's  broad  shoulders 
were  the  only  sufferers,  but  the  rough  home 
spun  which  covered  them  was  a  better  pro 
tection  than  his  uniform  would  have  been, 
and  he  again  blessed  the  good  fortune  which 
had  thrown  the  disguise  in  his  way  as  he 
left  Fairfield  four  days  before. 

Betty,  sitting  on  the  ladder  step,  straining 
her  ears  to  catch  the  first  sound,  became 
conscious  of  a  light  bound  as  Geoffrey 
swung  himself  from  the  chimney  top  to  the 
roof,  and  she  sped  up  the  ladder  to  unhook 
the  door  of  the  trap  just  as  he  reached  it. 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  55 

"  Speak  not  a  word,"  she  said  in  his  ear, 
as  he  set  his  foot  on  the  ladder,  "  but  fasten 
the  hook  lest  they  discover  that  the  door 
has  been  opened.  Now,  give  me  your  hand," 
and  in  the  darkness  the  strong,  manly  hand 
closed  firmly  over  her  dainty  fingers  with  a 
clasp  which,  strangely  enough,  inspired  her 
with  fresh  courage. 

"  Stop,"  said  Betty  suddenly,  as  they 
were  at  the  top  stair,  "  you  must  remove 
your  boots ;  the  slightest  creak  might  wake 
the  sleepers  at  the  end  of  the  hall." 

It  took  but  a  second  of  time  to  follow  her 
directions ;  and  then  very  softly,  with  many 
pauses,  the  pair  crept  down  the  winding 
stairs,  and  Betty  involuntarily  held  her 
breath  until  the  last  step  was  safely  passed 
and  she  raised  the  latch  of  the  buttery  door. 

"  If  Miss  Bidwell  has  locked  it,"  came 
the  swift  thought,  —  but,  no !  like  every 
thing  else  that  dreadful  night,  fortune 
seeemed  to  favor  Betty,  and  with  a  long- 
drawn  sigh  she  drew  her  companion  across 
the  threshold  and  instantly  shot  the  bolt 
behind  her. 

A  faint  glow  of  dawn  crept  through  the 
pantry  windows,  and  Betty  paused  a  moment 
and  regarded  the  rows  of  milk  pans  which 


56  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

adorned  the  shelves  of  the  small  room  with 
grave  intentness. 

"Had  you  not  better  take  a  glass  of 
milk  ?  "  she  said.  "  You  may  have  to  travel 
far  without  food,  although  I  am  sure  that 
should  you  ask  for  it  at  any  of  our  Connec 
ticut  farmhouses  you  would  be  cheerfully 
supplied,"  and  raising  the  neat  dipper  she 
filled  it  and  handed  it  to  Geoffrey,  who  took 
it  gratefully  from  her  hand. 

"And  now  put  on  your  boots,  for  free 
dom  lies  beyond  that  door,"  she  said,  still  in 
softest  tones,  as  she  unbolted  the  other  door 
which  led  directly  outside.  "  I  must  go 
with  you  as  far  as  the  barn,  for  you  will 
need  my  mare  to  take  you  out  of  danger  of 
pursuit." 

"  No,  no,"  answered  Geoffrey,  speaking 
for  the  first  time  as  they  sped  rapidly  over 
the  grass,  "  I  will  not  take  her ;  you  have 
dared  much  for  me,  and  I  fear  censure  and 
harm  may  come  to  you  for  releasing  me 
should  you  be  discovered." 

"  Censure,"  said  Betty,  throwing  back  her 
small  head  haughtily,  "  wherefoi-e  ?  Do  you 
think  I  shall  conceal  my  share  in  this  night's 
work  ?  Oliver  is  but  a  hot-headed  boy ;  had 
my  father  been  at  home  it  would  have  been 


FRIEND    OR   FOE  57 

different,  and  to  him  I  shall  make  my  con 
fession,  that  I  have  given  liberty  to  —  oh,  I 
cannot  say  a  foe,  after  what  you  have  done 
for  me  —  to  a  British  officer  who  comes  to 
slay  my  countrymen  !  " 

"Never  your  foe,  Betty,"  cried  Yorke, 
confronting  her  with  face  as  pale  as  her 
own,  and  in  his  admiration  of  her  spirit  and 
nobility  forgetting  all  else.  "  Say,  rather, 
your  adoring  friend,  who  one  day,  God  will 
ing,  hopes  to  prove  to  you  that  there  are 
British  hearts  which  are  true  and  honest  as 
yours,  and  that  none  will  be  more  loyal  to 
you  than  mine  own." 

A  hot  wave  of  color  flashed  up  over  Bet 
ty's  charming  face ;  her  lips  trembled,  but 
no  words  came  from  them.  What  was  this 
impetuous  young  man  daring  to  say  to  her  ? 

"  The  dawn  is  breaking  over  yonder  hills," 
Geoffrey  rushed  on,  "  and  before  the  sun 
rises  I  must  be  as  many  miles  away  as  my 
feet  can  carry  me.  Farewell,  farewell !  — 
may  God  bless  and  keep  you  always.  Go 
back  straightway  into  the  mansion  ;  I  shall 
not  stir  step  until  I  see  you  safe."  And 
through  her  brimming  tears  Betty  realized 
that  his  kisses  were  falling  on  her  hands,  as 
without  a  word  she  turned  and  fled  toward 


58  AN    UNWILLING  MAID 

the  open  door.  But  when  she  reached  it 
some  new-born  impulse  tearing  madly  at  her 
heart  made  her  pause,  and  looking  back  she 
saw  Geoffrey  lift  something  from  the  grass 
at  his  feet  which  he  waved  toward  her  as  he 
sped  down  the  path,  and  raising  her  hand  to 
her  gown  she  knew  that  he  had  carried  with 
him  her  breast-knot  of  rose-colored  ribbon. 


CHAPTER  V 

A   LOYAL    TKAITOR 

BETTY  stumbled  blindly  over  the  thresh 
old,  and  with  shaking  fingers  secured  the 
outer  bolt  of  the  buttery  door.  Her  head 
was  whirling,  and  she  dared  not  stop  there 
even  to  think  over  this  extraordinary  ad 
venture,  for  Moppet  was  doubtless  waiting 
breathlessly  for  her  return  ;  and  at  the  re 
collection  Betty's  nerves  grew  steadier,  and 
she  bethought  herself  that  a  glass  of  milk 
would  be  needed  by  the  child  and  that  she 
must  take  it  to  her.  So  she  filled  the  small 
est  dipper,  not  wishing  to  go  back  into  the 
china  pantry  for  fear  of  noise,  and,  with  the 
milk  in  hand,  concluded  it  was  wiser  to  seek 
the  main  staircase  in  the  hall,  rather  than 
wake  Reuben  by  drawing  his  attention  to 
the  exit  on  the  garret  stairway.  And  for 
tunate  it  was  for  Betty  that  she  had  so  de 
termined  ;  for  as  she  set  her  foot  upon  the 
first  step  of  the  stairs,  she  beheld  Oliver 


60  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

leaning  over  the  upper  balustrade,  gazing 
gravely  down  upon  her. 

"  Good-morning,"  said  Betty  readily,  in  a 
cheerful  undertone,  as  she  reached  his  side ; 
"  you  are  up  betimes,  Oliver." 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  "  asked  her 
brother. 

"To  the  buttery,"  said  Betty;  "this  is 
milk  for  Moppet.  The  child  is  wakeful,  and 
needs  it." 

"  Why  did  you  not  send  Reuben  ?  "  asked 
Oliver,  who  was  always  kind  and  attentive 
to  his  sisters. 

"  Reuben  ?  "  echoed  Betty.  "  Did  you 
not  set  him  as  guard  to  your  prisoner  ?  " 
and  then,  her  heart  smiting  her  for  the  gibe, 
"  Miss  Bidwell  lets  no  one  meddle  with  her 
milk  pans,  and  I  knew  best  which  were  last 
night's  milk,"  and  she  went  up  the  hall  with 
a  naughty  little  throb  of  mingled  mischief 
and  triumph,  as  she  thought  how  she  had 
outwitted  him,  while  the  unsuspecting  Oliver 
seated  himself  near  the  north  chamber  door. 

Moppet,  sitting  up  in  bed,  welcomed  her 
sister  with  open  arms,  and  drank  the  milk 
thirstily,  as  Betty  told  her  that  all  was  safe, 
and  that  Captain  Yorke  was  now  well  on 
his  way. 


A    LOYAL    TRAITOR  61 

"  I  'm  as  glad  as  can  be,"  said  Moppet, 
who  was  troubled  with  no  conscientious  scru 
ples  whatever,  and  was  now  beginning  to 
enjoy  herself  intensely  at  sharing  a  mystery 
with  Betty ;  "  I  told  him  you  were  gone, 
after  the  big  clock  struck  three,  and  oh, 
Betty,  he  kissed  my  hand  through  the  hole 
in  the  chimney." 

"  Did  he  ?  "  said  Betty,  flushing  brightly 
under  Moppet's  keen  glance. 

"  And  I  sat  there  and  shivered,"  went  on 
Moppet,  discreetly  dropping  that  branch  of 
the  subject,  "  for  I  could  hear  his  feet  as  he 
climbed,  and  once  he  slipped,  and  I  was  so 
frightened  lest  he  should  come  tumbling 
down  and  our  fine  plot  be  discovered.  Betty, 
Betty,  what  a  fine  flutter  Oliver  and  Josiah 
will  be  in  at  breakfast !  " 

"  Don't  talk  of  it,"  said  Betty,  shivering 
in  her  turn  ;  "  go  to  sleep,  Moppet,  and  I 
will  fly  to  my  chamber,  for  it  is  not  well 
that  I  should  be  discovered  here,  dressed. 
Oliver  is  not  one  to  notice ;  now  lie  still 
until  you  are  called  for  rising ;  "  and  Betty 
tripped  back  to  her  own  room,  where,  tear 
ing  off  her  dress,  she  threw  her  tired  little 
self  on  the  bed  to  rest,  if  not  to  sleep,  for  the 
short  hours  that  remained  before  breakfast. 


62  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

The  Wolcott  household  was  one  that  was 
early  astir,  however,  and  Chloe,  the  old  col 
ored  cook,  was  out  in  the  barn  searching  for 
eggs,  and  Miss  Bidwell  had  laid  the  break 
fast  cloth  and  polished  the  silver  by  half 
past  six,  when  Miss  Euphemia  knocked 
briskly  at  the  door  where  Pamela  and  Dolly 
Trumbull  were  slumbering  sweetly,  and  re 
solved  that  she  would  request  Oliver  to 
permit  Captain  Yorke  to  come  down  and 
breakfast  with  the  family.  "  For,"  mused 
Miss  Euphemia,  "  our  obligations  to  that 
young  man  should  make  some  difference,  I 
think,  in  his  treatment ;  I  must  try  to  per 
suade  Oliver  to  detain  him  here  until  my 
brother's  return,  for  although  I  did  not  think 
it  prudent  to  say  so,  I  confess  I  am  no  more 
anxious  to  keep  him  prisoner  than  Betty 
was." 

But  Miss  Euphemia  had  not  more  than 
descended  at  half  past  seven  precisely  (her 
usual  hour)  when  Oliver  came  hastily  into 
the  room,  demanding  a  hammer  and  chisel, 
and  with  such  evident  dismay  upon  his 
countenance  that  Miss  Euphemia  asked  if 
anything  was  the  matter. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Oliver,  searching 
the  drawer  for  the  desired  implements  ;  "  I 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  63 

called  aud  knocked  smartly  at  Captain 
Yorke's  door  to  ask  him  if  he  desired  hot 
water,  and  to  offer  him  a  change  of  clean 
linen  (as  we  are  much  the  same  size  and 
build)  ;  but  although  I  made  sufficient  noise 
to  wake  the  hardest  sleeper,  no  response  did 
I  receive.  Then  I  unbolted  the  door,  intend 
ing  to  enter,  but  he  has  fastened  it  on  the 
inside,  and  " 

"  He  is  ill,"  cried  Miss  Euphemia,  in 
alarm.  "  I  noted  he  looked  pale  last  night." 

"  Much  more  likely  't  is  some  device  to 
alarm  us,"  said  Oliver,  seizing  the  chisel, 
and  Miss  Euphemia  followed  him  as  he 
went  hurriedly  up  the  front  staircase.  At 
its  top  stood  Huntington. 

"  Captain  Yorke  is  a  sound  sleeper,"  he 
said,  addressing  Oliver.  "  I  have  knocked  at 
his  door  several  times  and  get  no  response." 

"  My  mind  misgives  me,"  said  Oliver,  fit 
ting  his  chisel  in  the  door  and  striking  vig 
orously  with  the  hammer ;  "  and  yet  I  made 
sure  there  was  no  chance  for  escape,  —  ha  !  " 
as  the  door  swung  open  and  discovered  the 
closed  shutters  and  the  last  flickering  gleams 
of  the  dying  candle  upon  the  table.  "  Good 
heavens,  Huntington,  he  has  flown  !  " 

"  Flown  ! "    cried   Josiah,    rushing   after 


64  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Oliver,  as  Miss  Euphemia  joined  the  party, 
and  Pamela,  with  Dolly,  opened  her  door 
across  the  hall,  hearing  the  commotion. 
"  And  how  ?  Surely  not  by  the  chimney  ?  " 

"  I  wish  you  had  suggested  that  earlier," 
said  Oliver  bitterly.  "  I  am  a  dolt  and  a 
fool's  head  not  to  have  thoroughly  exam 
ined  it  last  night,"  and  he  rushed  across 
into  Betty's  chamber  to  find  a  candle  with 
which  to  investigate  the  treacherous  exit. 

"  Have  a  care,  Oliver,"  cried  Betty,  as 
her  brother  entered  without  knocking,  to 
find  her  with  her  hair  over  her  shoulders, 
brush  in  hand.  "  What  do  you  please  to 
want  ?  " 

"  Your  candle,"  said  Oliver,  catching  up 
the  one  upon  her  table,  and  then  pausing,  as 
he  was  about  to  rush  out  again.  "  Did  you 
hear  any  noises  last  night,  Betty  ?  " 

"  Noises  ?  "  answered  Betty,  facing  him 
calmly,  "  of  what  nature  ?  " 

"  In  the  great  chimney,"  said  Oliver, 
eying  her  sternly. 

"  I  did  not,"  said  Betty,  with  truth,  re 
turning  inward  thanks  that  to  that  question 
she  could  reply  without  falsehood.  "Why 
did  you  ask?" 

"•  You  will  find  out    soon    enough,"   said 


A    LOYAL    TRAITOR  65 

Oliver,  dashing  down  the  hall,  without  clos 
ing  the  door,  and  hurrying  to  the  kitchen 
for  a  light.  By  the  time  he  returned,  he 
found  Josiah  half  way  up  the  chimney. 

"  Here  are  pegs,"  he  called  out,  as  Oliver 
sent  the  ray  of  the  lighted  candle  upward. 
"  'T  is  easy  enough  to  see  how  our  prisoner 
escaped.  Fool  that  I  was  not  to  have 
searched  this  place,"  and  he  let  himself 
down  again,  where  the  bewildered  group 
stood  around  the  chimney-piece. 

"  The  fault  is  mine  alone,"  cried  Oliver 
furiously  ;  "let  us  get  out  on  the  roof  and 
see  if  we  can  discover  how  he  made  his  de 
scent  to  the  ground." 

"  By  the  great  elm,"  exclaimed  Pamela, 
who  had  unfastened  the  shutters  with  Jo- 
siah's  help  ;  "  see,  the  branches  overhang 
the  roof  just  here,  and  I  think  there  are 
some  pieces  of  the  bark  on  the  ground  be 
low."  All  of  which  was  true,  and  quick 
witted  of  Pamela ;  but  Moppet  could  have 
explained  the  presence  of  the  bits  of  bark, 
for,  as  it  happened,  the  child  had  emptied 
her  apron  under  the  elm  the  day  before, 
and  the  bark  was  some  she  had  gathered  in 
the  orchard  for  the  bits  of  fungus  which,  at 
night,  were  phosphorescent,  and  which  Mop 
pet  called  "  fairy  lamps." 


66  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"True,"  said  Josiah,  leaning  out  of  the 
window,  "  and  there  are  footsteps  in  the  tall 
grass  yonder,"  pointing  westward,  where  his 
keen  eye  perceived  a  fresh  path  broken  in 
the  meadow.  "  I  must  follow  Oliver  to  the 
roof ;  this  will  be  a  dire  blow  to  him,  as  he 
thought  his  prisoner  so  carefully  guarded." 

"  How  clever  of  him  to  escape  under  our 
very  ears,"  said  Dolly  to  Pamela :  "  how 
could  Captain  Yorke  contrive  to  climb  down 
so  softly  that  no  one  heard  him?  Is  not 
Miss  Euphemia's  chamber  on  this  side?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Pamela,  turning  away  from 
the  window,  "  and  so  is  Moppet's ;  where  is 
Aunt  Euphemia  ? "  and  running  out  into 
the  hall,  she  encountered  both  Betty  and 
her  aunt  on  the  way  to  Moppet's  apart 
ment. 

"  Hush !  "  whispered  Betty,  with  hand  on 
the  latch,  "  I  hope  she  is  still  sleeping.  Mop 
pet  came  into  my  room  in  the  night,  Aunt 
Euphemia,  and  was  so  cold  and  shivering 
that  I  went  back  with  her  and  put  her  to 
bed.  I  got  a  drink  of  milk  for  her,  and  it 
seemed  to  quiet  her." 

"That  was  quite  right,"  said  Miss  Eu 
phemia.  "  I  have  been  afraid  that  the 
plunge  in  the  pond  did  her  some  injury," 


A    LOYAL    TRAITOR  67 

and  she  opened  the  door  softly,  only  to  see 
Miss  Moppet's  curly  head  rise  up  from  her 
pillow,  and  to  hear  her  say  with  a  sleepy 
yawn  :  — 

"  What  is  it  all  about  ?  Where 's  Betty  ?  " 

"  Here  I  am,"  said  Betty,  giving  her  a 
kiss.  "  Did  you  sleep  soundly  after  the 
milk  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  want  some  more,"  said  Mop 
pet,  seizing  the  situation  with  such  alacrity 
that  Betty  suspected  on  the  instant  that  the 
keen  little  ears  had  been  on  the  alert  for 
more  minutes  than  Moppet  cared  to  acknow 
ledge.  "  What  are  you  all  coming  in  for  ? 
Is  it  dinner-time  ?  " 

"No,"  interrupted  Pamela,  "we  have  not 
even  had  breakfast.  Captain  Yorke  has  es 
caped  in  the  night" 

"Escaped!"  cried  Moppet,  the  liveliest 
curiosity  in  her  tone.  "  Oh,  I  'm  so  glad  ! 
Are  n't  you,  Betty  ?  " 

"  Better  not  let  Oliver  hear  you  say  that," 
said  Pamela  in  an  undertone  as  Miss  Eu- 
phemia  drew  Betty  aside. 

"  How  did  he  get  out  ?  "  said  Moppet,  giv 
ing  way  to  laughter.  "  Oh,  what  a  ruffle 
Oliver  must  be  in." 

"  Naughty  child,"  said  Pamela,  but  unable 


68  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

to  help  smiling  at  Moppet's  view  of  the  sit 
uation.  "  Did  you  happen  to  hear  any  noises 
on  the  roof  or  in  the  big  elm  last  night  ?  " 

"Not  a  sound,"  said  Moppet,  like  Betty 
rejoicing  inwardly  that  she  could  reply  truth 
fully,  for  the  little  maid  had  never  told  a  lie 
in  her  short  life,  and  had  indeed  spent  a 
wakeful  half  hour  that  very  morning  won 
dering  how  she  would  be  able  to  evade  any 
questions  that  might  be  put  to  her.  "  Did 
Captain  Yorke  climb  out  of  his  window  and 
go  down  the  big  elm,  Pamela?  Do  you 
know  I  thought  of  that  at  supper." 

"He  could  not  open  the  window,  Mop 
pet,"  answered  Pamela,  "but  he  did  go  down 
the  tree  from  the  roof,  whence  he  climbed 
from  the  chimney  here." 

"  Moppet,  you  must  instantly  dress  or  you 
will  take  cold,"  said  Miss  Euphemia,  inter 
rupting,  to  Betty's  relief,  "  and  I  will  be 
glad  if  Betty  will  assist  you,  for  I  must  go 
down  and  see  if  breakfast  be  still  hot,  as  no 
one  is  ready  yet  to  eat  it,"  and  out  went 
Miss  Euphemia,  calling  the  others  to  follow 
her. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  all  this  ?  "  asked 
Pamela  of  Betty. 

"  What   do   you   suppose  ? "  flashed   out 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  69 

Betty,  whose  quick  tongue  had  been  so  long 
restrained  that  it  was  absolute  relief  to  her 
to  speak  her  mind.  "  I  am  as  glad  as  I  can 
possibly  be  that  Captain  Yorke  has  escaped, 
and  if  that  be  disloyal "  -  finished  the 
spirited  little  maid,  mindful  of  Patrick 
Henry  —  "  make  the  most  of  it !  " 

"Oh,  Betty !  "  cried  Pamela,  shocked  be 
yond  expression. 

"  It  is  I  that  should  be  shocked,  not  you," 
went  on  Betty.  "  Do  you  hold  Moppet's 
dear  life  as  nothing  ?  Do  you  not  wish  to 
acknowledge  an  obligation  when  it  is  doubly 
due  ?  I  am  ashamed  of  you,  Pamela,  —  you 
and  Oliver.  I  would  my  father  were  here 
to  make  you  see  both  sides  of  a  question 
clearly." 

"  Betty,  Betty,"  implored  Pamela,  burst 
ing  into  tears,  "  do  I  not  love  our  little  sis 
ter  as  well  as  you  ?  You  do  mistake  me  ;  I 
did  not  dare  go  counterwise  to  Oliver  and 
Josiah,  but  indeed  I  love  you  for  your  cour- 
age." 

"  There,  say  no  more,"  said  Betty,  drop 
ping  the  brush  with  which  she  was  reducing 
Moppet's  rebellious  locks  to  order,  and  rush 
ing  into  Pamela's  arms  with  quick  repent 
ance.  "  I  am  cross  and  upset  this  morning, 


70  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  not  fit  to  talk  to  you,  my  gentle  Pamela, 
so  go  down  and  make  the  coffee  and  forgive 
my  petulance." 

Dolly,  who  had  witnessed  this  little  sis 
terly  passage  of  arms  in  shy  fright,  put  her 
hand  in  Pamela's  and  whispered,  as  they 
gained  the  staircase  :  — 

"  Dry  your  eyes,  Pamela  dear  ;  Betty  is 
most  forward  to  speak  thus  to  her  elder  sis 
ter." 

"  There  you  mistake,"  said  Pamela,  chan 
ging  front  with  true  feminine  inconsistency. 
"  Betty  is  quite  right,  and  I  am  displeased, 
—  yes  downright  displeased  with  myself  that 
I  did  not  side  with  her  last  night,"  and  with 
unwonted  color  flushing  her  \isually  pale 
cheeks  Pamela  walked  into  the  breakfast- 
room,  Dolly  following  meekly  behind  her. 

Meanwhile,  Oliver  and  Josiah  were  upon 
the  roof  of  the  mansion  conducting  most 
careful  investigation.  They  had  decided 
that  it  was  useless  to  pursue  Yorke,  for  he 
might  have  many  hours  in  advance  of  them, 
and  they  must  take  the  chances  that  he 
would  be  recaptured  by  some  of  Putnam's 
men,  especially  if  he  again  mistook  the 
country  and  went  west  instead  of  north. 
They  climbed  through  the  trap-door,  but  as 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  71 

the  heavy  dews  had  not  yet  begun  there  was 
no  trace  of  footsteps  upon  the  roof  beyond  a 
faint  mark,  which  might  be  the  spot  where 
the  prisoner  had  dropped  from  the  chimney. 
It  was  quite  possible  for  an  agile  fellow, 
accustomed  to  use  his  muscle,  to  clamber 
down  the  sloping  roof  to  the  elm  and  escape 
to  the  ground  by  its  branches,  and  that  he 
was  not  heard  was  partly  due  to  his  own 
care  and  the  unusually  heavy  slumbers  of 
the  inmates  of  the  mansion.  Having  reached 
this  conclusion,  Oliver  was  fain  to  make  the 
best  of  it,  and  in  much  chagrin  descended 
to  the  breakfast-table. 

Try  as  she  did  to  look  demure  and  avoid 
speaking  upon  the  subject  which  all  were 
discussing,  Betty  could  not  keep  her  dan 
cing  eyes  in  order,  and  before  the  meal  was 
over  she  flashed  so  roguish  a  glance  at  Oli 
ver  that,  irritated  at  her  mute  opposition,  he 
could  not  refrain  from  saying :  — 

"  There  sits  Betty  looking  fairly  pleased 
because  she  has  her  own  way,  and  appar 
ently  cares  nothing  for  the  escape  of  an 
enemy  to  her  country." 

"  Fie,  Oliver,"  spoke  up  Pamela  with 
unusual  fire,  "  Betty  is  as  loyal  as  you  or  I, 
and  you  are  unfair  to  tax  her  because  she 


72  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

heartily  disapproves  of  your  course  in  regard 
to  Captain  Yorke's  detention  after  the  sig 
nal  service  he  has  rendered  to  all  us  Wol- 
cotts." 

"Pamela!"  cried  Oliver,  good  temper 
returning,  and  gazing  in  comic  dismay  at 
his  favorite  sister,  much  as  he  would  at  a 
dove  who  had  ruffled  its  plumes.  "  This 
from  you,  Pamela  ?  If  Betty  be  allowed  to 
demoralize  the  family  in  this  wise,  I  think 
it  were  well  my  father  takes  you  all  in 
hand." 

"  Heyday  ?  "  said  a  kindly  voice  from  the 
door  of  the  sitting-room,  as  a  fine-looking 
man  dressed  in  the  Continental  uniform 
entered  the  room.  "  Who  is  it  that  requires 
my  parental  hand,  Oliver,  and  why  do  you 
so  lament  my  absence  ?  " 

"  Father,  father  !  "  shrieked  Miss  Mop 
pet,  tumbling  out  of  her  chair  and  flinging 
her  arms  around  General  Wolcott's  neck  as 
he  stooped  down  to  embrace  her.  "  Oh, 
we  're  so  glad  you  are  come.  Why  did  n't 
you  get  here  last  night  ?  " 

"  Because  I  lay  over  at  General  Putnam's 
headquarters,"  said  her  father.  "Oliver, 
you  will  find  Captain  Seymour  and  Lieuten 
ant  Hillhouse  on  the  porch.  See  that  their 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  73 

horses  be  taken  and  fed,  and  bid  them  come 
to  breakfast." 

Oliver  disappeared  in  haste,  and  Josiah, 
with  an  apology  to  Miss  Euphemia,  followed 
him ;  while  General  Wolcott,  casting  off  his 
hat  and  gloves,  seated  himself  with  Moppet 
on  his  knee,  and  Miss  Bidwell  appeared 
from  the  kitchen  with  fresh  reinforcements 
of  breakfast  for  the  newcomers.  Betty, 
busying  herself  by  fetching  cups  and  saucers 
from  the  china  pantry,  caught  fragments  of 
the  conversation,  and  became  aware  that 
Miss  Moppet  was  telling  the  story  of  her 
adventure  at  Great  Pond,  in  the  child's 
most  dramatic  fashion,  and  that  Miss  Eu 
phemia  was  also  adding  her  testimony  to 
the  tale  as  it  went  on.  They  were  presently 
interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Oliver  with 
his  father's  two  aids,  and  the  large  mahog 
any  table  was  surrounded  by  guests,  whose 
appetites  bid  fair  to  do  justice  to  Miss  Bid- 
well's  breakfast. 

No  sooner  was  the  meal  fairly  under  way 
than  Oliver,  eager  to  hear  his  father's  opin 
ion,  began  the  story  of  his  capture  of  the 
day  before,  and  related  how  and  where  he 
had  found  Captain  Yorke,  and  how  safely 
he  supposed  he  had  imprisoned  him  in  the 


74  AN    UNWILLING  MAID 

north  chamber,  from  which  his  clever  and 
ready  escape  had  been  made.  Oliver's  nar 
rative  was  interrupted  by  exclamations  from 
the  officers  and  questions  from  his  father, 
who  displayed  keen  interest  in  the  matter. 

"  Father,"  said  Moppet,  seeing  that  the 
most  important  point  had  been  omitted  in 
Oliver's  story,  and  venturing  to  join  in  the 
conversation,  as  few  children  of  that  period 
would  have  done,  "  Oliver's  prisoner  was  my 
good  kind  gentleman  who  pulled  me  out  of 
the  pond,  and  I  am  very,  very  glad  he  has 
got  away  —  are  n't  you  ?  " 

"I  was  indeed  hard  bestead,  sir,"  burst 
in  Oliver.  "  Here  were  Betty  and  Moppet 
insisting  that  I  must  let  Captain  Yorke  go 
free  because  of  his  gallant  act  (which  I 
fully  appreciate),  and  the  gentleman  refus 
ing  his  parole  because  he  preferred  to  take 
the  chances  of  war,  while  I  felt  it  my  sworn 
duty  to  detain  him  and  to  forward  him  to 
General  Putnam  without  delay,  as  I  know 
we  are  in  need  of  exchange  for  several  of 
our  officers  now  held  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
and  this  man  is  of  Clinton's  staff,  and  there 
fore  a  most  valuable  capture.  Was  I  to 
blame  for  retaining  him  ?  " 

General  Wolcott  hesitated,  but  as  he  was 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  75 

about  to  make  reply  his  eye  fell  upon  Betty, 
who  confronted  him  across  the  table  with 
parted  lips  and  large,  beseeching  eyes  so  full 
of  entreaty  that  he  changed  the  words  al 
most  upon  his  lips. 

"  It  is  a  delicate  question,  my  son,"  he 
said  gravely,  "  and  one  I  would  rather  not 
discuss  at  the  present  moment.  More  espe 
cially  " —  and  a  half -quizzical  smile  lit  up 
his  grave  but  kindly  face  as  he  turned  to 
ward  Miss  Moppet  and  gently  pinched  her 
little  ear,  —  "  more  especially  as  the  gentle 
man  has  taken  the  law  in  his  own  hands  and 
escaped  from  Wolcott  Manor  despite  the 
fact  that  as  it  is  the  residence  of  a  Conti 
nental  officer  and  the  sheriff  of  Litchfield 
County  it  might  be  supposed  to  have  excep 
tional  reasons  for  detaining  him.  Captain 
Seymour,  I  will  be  glad  to  sign  the  papers 
of  which  General  Putnam  has  need,  and  we 
will  go  at  once  to  my  library,  for  you  must 
be  off  by  noon." 

Some  two  hours  later,  as  Betty  sat  watch 
ing  in  her  chamber  window,  she  saw  the 
horses  led  around  to  the  front  door,  and 
shortly  after  knew  from  the  sounds  below 
that  Pamela  and  Dolly  were  bidding  the 
young  officers  good-by ;  so,  waiting  until 


76  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

the  sound  of  their  horses'  feet  had  died 
away  in  the  distance,  Betty,  with  outward 
composure  but  much  inward  dismay,  tripped 
softly  downstairs  and  knocked  at  the  door 
of  the  library. 

"  Pray  Heaven  he  be  alone,"  she  sighed 
as  she  heard  her  father's  voice  bid  her  enter, 
and  then  she  crossed  the  threshold  and  con 
fronted  him. 

"  Father,"  she  said,  steadying  herself  by 
one  small  hand  pressed  downward  on  the 
table  behind  which  he  sat,  "I  —  that  is  —  I 
have  something  to  tell  you." 

General  Wolcott  raised  his  head  from  the 
paper  which  he  had  been  carefully  reading 
and  looked  kindly  at  her. 

"What  is  it,  my  child?"  he  asked  reas 
suringly,  motioning  her  to  a  chair.  "  I 
thought  at  breakfast  that  you  had  the  air 
of  being  in  distress." 

"  Nay,  I  am  hardly  that,"  replied  Betty, 
clinging  to  the  table,  "except  so  far  as  I 
may  have  incurred  your  censure,  though  I 
hope  not  your  displeasure.  Father,  Oliver 
has  told  you  of  the  escape  of  Captain  Yorke, 
which  causes  him  much  chagrin  and  anger. 
Blame  no  one  but  me,  for  I  myself  released 
him." 


A   LOYAL    TRAITOR  77 

"  You  !  "  exclaimed  General  Wolcott. 

"  Yes,  I,"  said  Betty,  growing  paler.  "  If 
you  had  but  been  here  or  I  known  that  you 
were  so  near  us,  there  had  been  no  such 
need  for  haste,  and  I  would  have  been 
spared  this  confession." 

"  How  did  you  arrange  the  escape  ?  "  said 
her  father  quietly. 

"  It  was  this  way,"  faltered  Betty,  but 
gaining  courage  as  she  proceeded.  "  Oliver 
would  not  listen,  though  I  begged  and 
plead  with  him  to  delay  until  your  arrival. 
He  was  so  eager  to  deliver  his  captive  to 
General  Putnam  that  I  made  no  impression. 
Father,  the  Englishman  had  saved  our  Mop 
pet's  life  at  the  risk  of  his  own ;  he  did  not 
pause  to  ask  whether  she  was  friend  or  foe 
when  he  rushed  to  her  rescue  —  could  we  be 
less  humane  ?  I  do  not  know  what  they  do 
to  prisoners,"  -—  and  Betty  strangled  a  swift 
sob,  —  but  I  could  not  bear  to  think  of  a 
gallant  gentleman,  be  he  British  or  Ameri 
can,  confined  in  a  prison,  and  so  I  resolved 
I  would  assist  his  escape.  I  waited  until 
midnight,  and  then  I  spoke  to  him  through 
the  aperture  in  the  great  chimney  and  in 
structed  him  how  to  climb  up  through  it  by 
the  pegs  Reuben  had  left  there,  and  I  stole 


78  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

to  the  garret  and  waited  until  he  came. 
Reuben  did  not  see  me  pass  the  door  of  the 
north  chamber,  for  he  was  asleep  (do  not 
tell  this  to  Oliver,  as  it  might  bring  reproof 
upon  poor  Reuben,  who  was  too  weary  to  be 
of  much  service  as  a  sentinel),  and  I  brought 
Captain  Yorke  safely  down  the  stairs  which 
lead  from  the  garret  to  the  buttery.  Once 
there,  all  was  easy ;  I  opened  the  door,  and 
—  and  —  I  even  offered  him  the  mare,  fa 
ther,  I  was  in  such  fear  of  his  recapture ; 
but  he  stoutly  refused  to  take  her.  This  is 
all.  If  I  am  a  traitor,  dear  father,  punish 
me  as  I  deserve,  but  never  think  me  disloyal 
to  you  or  to  my  country." 

There  was  a  pause,  as  Betty's  sweet,  pas 
sionate  tones  ceased ;  she  stood  with  head 
thrown  back,  but  downcast  eyes,  as  fair  a 
picture  as  ever  greeted  father's  eye. 

"  A  loyal  traitor,  Betty,"  said  General 
Wolcott  slowly ;  "  and  I  think  that  it  were 
well  I  should  look  after  the  condition  of  my 
chimneys." 

Scarcely  daring  to  believe  her  ears,  Betty 
looked  up,  and  in  another  second  she  had 
thrown  her  arms  around  her  father's  neck, 
sobbing  softly  as  he  caressed  her. 

"  'T  was  a  daring,  mad  scheme,  my  child," 


.•1   LOYAL    TRAITOR  79 

said  General  Wolcott,  his  own  eyes  not 
quite  guiltless  of  moisture  ;  "  but  bravely 
carried  out;  and  looking  at  the  matter 
much  as  you  do,  I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  censure  you.  Captain  Yorke  is  doubtless 
a  manly  foe,  and  of  such  I  have  no  fear.  It 
shall  be  our  secret,  yours  and  mine,  Betty ; 
we  will  not  even  tell  Oliver  just  now,  else  it 
might  make  sore  feeling  between  you.  For 
Oliver  was  right,  and "  —  smiling  kindly, 
"  so  were  you.  Everything  depends  upon 
the  point  of  view,  my  daughter ;  but  let  me 
beg  you  never  to  try  your  hand  again  to 
assist  the  escape  of  a  British  officer,  or  it 
might  cost  me  the  friendship  of  General 
Washington." 

"  Father,  dear  father  !  "  cried  Betty,  over 
joyed  to  find  judgment  so  lenient  accorded 
her,  "  I  crave  your  pardon ;  't  was  alone  for 
Moppet's  sake." 

"Aye,"  said  General  Wolcott,  and  then 
paused  a  brief  second,  for  his  wife's  death 
had  been  the  forfeit  paid  for  Moppet's 
birth,  and  this  was  one  reason  why  the  child 
had  become  the  family  idol.  "  Now  run 
away,  for  I  must  close  these  papers  in  time 
for  Oliver,  who  rides  dispatch  to  Fort 
Trumbull  to-night.  And,  Betty,"  as  she 


80  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

stood  glowing  and  smiling  before  him,  "  my 
child,  you  grow  more  like  your  mother  every 
day,"  and  with  a  hasty  movement  General 
Wolcott  turned  away  to  conceal  his  emo 
tion,  as  Betty  went  quickly  from  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VI 

BY    COURIER   POST 

IT  had  been  a  wild  night,  and  the  morn 
ing  wind  sobbed  and  sighed  through  the 
elms,  which,  denuded  of  their  leaves,  stood 
out  tall  and  bare  against  the  leaden  sky,  and 
there  was  a  chill  in  the  air  that  might  be 
token  snow.  Pamela  Wolcott  stood  in  the 
sitting-room  window  and  sighed  softly,  as 
she  gazed  out  at  the  November  landscape, 
letting  her  fingers  beat  soft  tattoo  against 
the  lozenge-shaped  pane. 

"  Pamela,"  said  Betty  from,  the  depths  of 
a  big  chair,  where  she  sat  busily  knitting  a 
little  stocking  whose  proportions  suggested 
Miss  Moppet,  "  I  wish  you  would  stop  that 
devil's  march.  Believe  me,  you  had  much 
better  come  and  talk  to  me,  and  so  drive 
away  the  vapors,  rather  than  stand  there 
and  worry  over  the  whereabouts  of  Jo- 
siah." 

"It  will  take  more  than  that  to  drive 
away  the  thoughts  I  cannot  help,"  said  Pa- 


82  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

mela,  coming  back  from  the  window  and 
seating  herself  on  the  wide  settle,  for  Pa 
mela  was  somewhat  given  to  seeking  the 
warmest  corner,  and  dreaded  a  New  Eng 
land  winter.  "  It  is  full  time  I  had  some 
intelligence,  for  Josiah  promised  that  he 
would  take  advantage  of  any  courier  who 
started  for  New  London  to  dispatch  me  a 
letter,  and  you  know  that  father  had  news 
two  days  since  from  Morristown,  but  nothing 
came  for  me.  Betty,  I  am  sore  afraid  of 
evil  tidings." 

"  You  are  ever  faint-hearted,"  said  Betty, 
glancing  compassionately  at  her  sister. 

"  And  I  dreamed  last  night  of  a  wedding," 
went  on  Pamela,  "  and  that,  you  know,  is  an 
evil  sign." 

"  Best  not  let  Aunt  Euphemia  hear  you," 
replied  Betty,  with  a  smile.  "You  have 
been  consulting  Chloe,  I  am  sure,  as  to  the 
portents  of  dreams.  Fie,  Pamela;  Josiah 
is  strong  and  well,  and  there  is  not  likely  to 
be  a  movement  of  the  troops  just  now, 
father  says,  so  why  worry  ?  I  am  anxious 
because  we  hear  nothing  of  Clarissa,  and  I 
think  Aunt  Euphemia  is  the  same,  for  I 
heard  her  talking  and  sighing  last  night 
when  Miss  Bidwell  carried  up  the  night 


BY   COURIER  POST  83 

light.  Dear  Clarissa,  how  I  wish  I  could 
see  her  again ;  I  wonder  if  she  be  quite, 
quite  happy  shut  up  in  New  York  among 
the  Tories." 

"  No  doubt ;  though  when  she  married 
Gulian  Verplanck  we  had  little  thought  of 
the  occupation  of  New  York  by  the  British. 
Do  you  recollect  how  pretty  she  looked  on 
her  wedding-day,  Betty,  and  the  little  caps 
you  and  I  wore,  —  mine  with  a  knot  of  blue, 
and  yours  of  rose-color  ?  I  found  that  ribbon 
one  day  last  week,  tucked  away  in  a  little 
box.  Have  you  kept  yours  ?  " 

"No,"  returned  Betty,  with  a  sudden 
blush  and  a  quick,  half-guilty  throb  of  her 
heart,  as  she  remembered  in  whose  hand  she 
had  last  seen  that  same  bow  of  rose-color ; 
"  that  is,  I  had  it  until  last  summer,  when  — 
I  lost  it."  And  Betty  dropped  two  stitches 
in  her  confusion,  which  fortunately  Pamela 
was  too  much  engrossed  in  her  own  thoughts 
to  notice." 

"  It  is  five  years  last  May,"  said  Pamela. 
"  You  and  I  were  tiny  things  of  ten  and 
eleven  years,  and  Oliver  strutted  about 
grand  and  dignified  in  a  new  coat.  The 
first  wedding  in  our  family  —  I  wonder  whose 
will  be  the  next?" 


84  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"Yours,  of  course,"  said  Betty  quickly. 
"  That  is  if  you  and  Josiah  can  ever  make 
up  your  minds.  I  will  not  be  like  you, 
Pamela ;  trust  rne,  when  my  turn  comes  I  '11 
know  full  well  whether  I  will  or  I  won't." 
And  Betty  tossed  her  saucy  head  with  a 
mischievous  laugh  as  there  came  a  rap  on 
the  front  door  which  caused  both  girls  to 
start  up  and  fly  to  the  window. 

"Why,  'tis  Sally  Tracy,"  cried  Betty. 
"  I  did  not  know  she  had  returned  from  her 
visit  to  Lebanon."  And  she  ran  rapidly 
along  the  hall,  and  opening  the  door,  em 
braced  her  friend  with  all  a  girl's  enthusi 
asm. 

"  Welcome,  Sally,"  said  Pamela,  as  the 
pair  came  hand  in  hand  towards  her. 
"  Betty  has  been  moping  ever  since  you  left, 
and  had  a  desperate  fit  of  industry  from 
sheer  loneliness.  I  really  believe  she  has 
made  a  stocking  and  a  half  for  Moppet  — 
or  was  it  a  pair,  Betty? " 

"  The  second  pair,  if  you  please,"  retorted 
Betty,  rejoiced  to  see  Pamela  smile,  even  if 
at  her  own  expense  ;  "  and  Miss  Bidwell 
says  they  are  every  bit  as  fine  as  yours." 

"They  may  well  be  that,"  said  Pamela, 
whose  pet  detestation  was  the  manufacture 


BY   COURIER  POST  85 

of  woolen  stockings  (then  considered  one  of 
the  component  parts  of  a  girl's  education  in 
New  England).  "  But  Sally  is  such  a  mar 
velous  knitter  that  she  will  no  doubt  rejoice 
at  your  success.  Had  you  as  severe  weather 
in  Lebanon  as  this  ?  I  am  fearful  that  we 
will  have  a  hard  winter,  the  cold  has  set  in 
so  early." 

"  They  have  had  one  flurry  of  snow  al 
ready,"  Sally  answered,  "  but  not  so  much 
wind  as  we  of  Litchfield  rejoice  in.  But  I 
had  a  merry  visit  and  saw  much  company. 
Dolly  bemoaned  daily  that  you  could  not 
come,  Pamela." 

"  I  am  to  go  later,  after  or  about  the  day 
set  apart  for  Thanksgiving.  But  you  and 
Betty  have  much  to  say  to  each  other,  and  I 
will  not  interrupt  you ;  Miss  Bidwell  has 
something  for  me  to  do,  I  '11  warrant ;  so, 
farewell  for  the  present,  Sally."  And  Pa 
mela  left  the  room. 

"  Come,  sit  beside  me  on  the  settle,"  said 
Betty,  putting  Sally  in  the  warmest  seat. 
"  Your  fingers  are  cold,  and  the  room  is  not 
yet  sufficiently  warm.  Well,"  —  with  a  sig 
nificant  smile,  —  "  what  have  you  to  tell 
me?" 

"  Not  what   you   think,"  with  a  smiling 


86  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

nod,  "  for  Francis  Plunkett  is  far  too  press 
ing  for  my  taste,"  answered  Sally. 

"Ha,  ha,"  quoth  Betty,  much  amused, 
"  is  that  the  way  you  take  it  ?  Then  I  fore 
see  that  Francis  will  win  for  his  much  speak- 
ing." 

"Indeed  he  will  not;  I  teased  him  well 
the  last  evening,  and  he  dare  not  resume 
the  subject  for  a  while  at  least." 

"  Then  there  is  some  one  else,"  said  Betty. 
"  Can  it  be  that  Oliver  "  — 

"Oh,  no,"  cried  Sally  hastily;  "Oliver 
has  not  such  an  idea,  believe  me,  Betty." 

"How can  you  answer  for  him?"  retorted 
Betty,  laughing.  "  But  your  tone  answers 
for  yourself,  so  I  must  guess  again.  I  think 
I  have  heard  something  of  a  handsome 
young  lawyer  from  Branford  " 

"  Fie !  "  cried  Sally,  in  her  turn  averting 
her  face  quickly,  but  not  before  Betty  had 
perceived  her  heightened  color.  "  I  have 
but  met  him  three  times,  and  there  are 
plenty  of  other  personable  men  as  well  as 
he,  for  while  one  stops  with  Dolly  the  offi 
cers  from  Fort  Trumbull  are  ever  coming 
and  going,  you  know." 

"  Ah,  Sally,  you  are  growing  giddy,  I 
fear,"  continued  Betty  with  comical  pretense 


BY   COURIER  POST  87 

of  solemnity.  "  I  think  it  behooves  me  to 
caution  you." 

"  Caution  me,  indeed  !  "  laughed  Sally. 
"  Wait  until  we  both  go,  as  we  all  are  in 
vited  to  Hartford  with  Dolly  this  winter 
when  the  Assembly  meets,  and  then  see  if 
you  be  not  fully  as  giddy  as  I  am." 

"  I  do  not  believe  that  I  can  go  to  Hart 
ford,  Sally ;  you  know  Pamela  is  more 
Dolly's  friend  than  mine,  and  I  think  she 
needs  some  diversion,  for  ever  since  Josiah 
had  his  commission  and  joined  the  Continen 
tal  army,  she  has  nearly  moped  herself  to 
death.  And  Pamela  is  like  my  mother,  not 
very  strong ;  I  can  see  that  Aunt  Euphemia 
is  somewhat  troubled  about  her  even  now, 
so  perhaps  our  fine  schemes  for  a  trip  to 
Hartford  may  have  to  be  given  up,  at  least 
so  far  as  my  going  is  concerned." 

Sally's  face  fell ;  the  visit  to  Hartford  had 
been  so  long  talked  of,  and  Betty's  presence 
so  much  desired,  that  this  was  a  dash  of  the 
coldest  possible  water. 

"  Oh,  Betty,  how  truly  sorry  I  shall  be. 
But  let  us  hope  for  the  best.  It  will  be  a 
sad  breaking  up  of  all  my  plans  for  the  win 
ter  if  you  cannot  come.  I  was  also  to  stop 
at  Fairfield  with  Mrs.  Sherman,  but  since 


88  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

the  raid  of  last  summer  her  health  has  been 
so  shattered  that  all  thoughts  of  visitors 
have  to  be  abandoned,  and  therefore  I  was 
counting  upon  our  merry  visit  to  Dolly  as 
compensation." 

Sally  looked  so  melancholy  at  this  point 
that  Betty  took  her  hand  and  was  about  to 
take  a  rather  more  hopeful  view  of  things, 
but  the  words  died  on  her  lips  as  the  clatter 
of  a  horse's  feet  was  heard  outside,  and  both 
girls  ran  to  the  window  in  time  to  see  the 
rider  draw  rein  at  the  south  door  of  the 
mansion  and  dismount  in  apparent  haste. 

"  It  is  some  dispatch,"  said  Betty  breath 
lessly.  "  Did  you  not  see  the  bag  he  carried 
at  the  saddle  ?  And  there  is  my  father  — 
oh,  Sally,  I  wonder  if  there  be  news  from 
General  Washington  and  the  army?"  and 
struck  by  the  sudden  fear  of  ill-tidings  the 
girls  ran  hastily  from  the  room. 

In  the  wide  hall  stood  Miss  Bidwell,  and 
beside  her  the  stranger,  saddle-bag  in  hand, 
as  Miss  Euphemia  emerged  from  the  dining- 
room,  whence  General  Wolcott  had  preceded 
her. 

"  From  the  commander-in-chief,  general," 
said  the  courier,  touching  his  battered  hat  in 
salute,  "and  special  dispatches  from  Gen- 


BY   COURIER  POST  89 

eral  Steuben.  Also  this  private  packet, 
which  was  lying  waiting  at  King's  Bridge 
Inn ;  I  have  been  four  days  on  the  road, 
owing  to  my  horse  having  lamed  himself 
when  near  Chatham,  and  I  could  not  make 
time  on  the  nag  which  stands  at  your  door." 

"  King's  Bridge,"  murmured  Miss  Eu- 
phemia ;  "  then  there  is  news  of  Clarissa. 
Brother,  have  I  your  permission?" — as 
General  Wolcott  gave  the  small  packet  into 
her  hand. 

"  Break  the  seals,"  said  the  general 
briefly,  "  and  bring  me  the  letters  presently 
to  my  study.  See  that  the  horse  and  man 
be  well  taken  care  of  ;  I  may  have  to  dis 
patch  instant  answer  to  these,"  and  he  went 
quickly  down  the  hall,  closing  the  door  be 
hind  him. 

With  fingers  that  trembled  somewhat, 
Miss  Euphemia  opened  the  cover,  and  dis 
closed  three  letters  to  the  eager  eyes  of  the 
girls,  who  stood  breathless  beside  her. 

"  One  for  your  father  (it  is  Gulian  Ver- 
plaiick's  hand),  this  for  me,  from  Clarissa, 
and  the  smaller  one  for  you,  Betty ;  let  us 
go  into  the  sitting-room  and  read  ours  to 
gether." 

"  None  for  me  ?  "  said  Pamela's  despair- 


90  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

ing  voice,  with  a  sob  treading  on  the  words ; 
"oh,  I  fear  me  some  evil  has  befallen 
Josiah." 

"  No,  no,"  whispered  Betty,  stealing  her 
hand  lovingly  into  her  sister's,  as  she  pulled 
her  gently  into  the  room  ;  "  father  has  the 
dispatches  ;  these  are  but  the  long-looked- 
for  letters  from  New  York,  Pamela,  and  I  '11 
wager  there  is  something  from  Josiah  among 
father's  packets.  Let  us  see  what  my  letter 
says,"  and  Betty,  having  seated  Pamela  and 
Sally  on  the  settle,  placed  herself  on  a  con 
venient  cricket,  and  broke  the  seal  of  her 
letter.  But  before  her  eyes  had  time  to  see 
more  than  "  Dearest  Betty,"  she  was  inter 
rupted  by  a  sudden  exclamation  from  her 
aunt. 

"  Clarissa  has  been  at  death's  door,"  cried 
Miss  Euphemia,  startled  out  of  her  usual 
composure.  "  I  knew  this  long  silence  boded 
no  good.  Listen,  I  will  read  it,"  and  the 
three  girls  gathered  round  her  chair  at 
once. 

"  Dear  and  Honored  Aunt  "  (ran  the  let 
ter),  "  I  take  up  my  pen,  after  many  days  of 
pain  and  dire  distress,  to  send  loving  greet 
ings  to  you,  my  Beloved  father,  and  my  dear 
sisters.  For  the  hand  of  death  was  nearly 


BY   COURIER  POST  91 

apon  me  ;  thank  God  that  I  am  still  pre 
served  to  my  dear  Husband  and  to  you. 

"  It  was  a  very  malignant  and  severe  at 
tack  of  Fever,  and  Gulian  procured  the 
services  of  no  less  than  three  Physicians,  as 
for  days  I  laid  unconscious.  My  little  baby 
died  at  two  hours  old,  and  I  never  saw  him. 
Alas,  how  I  have  suffered !  I  am  now  very 
weak,  altho'  able  to  be  dressed  and  sit  up 
each  day.  This  is  my  first  letter;  and  I 
pine  so  sorely  for  you,  my  dear  ones,  that 
my  dear  Husband  permits  me  to  write,  and 
begs  with  me  that  you  will  permit  one  of 
my  sisters  to  come  to  me  and  cheer  my 
heart "  — 

"  Come  to  her  !  Good  lack  !  "  cried  im 
petuous  Betty,  interrupting  the  reader,  "  how 
is  one  to  go  when  the  British  are  in  occu 
pation  ?  " 

"  How,  indeed,"  sighed  Miss  Euphemia  ; 
"  but  perhaps  the  letter  will  tell,"  and  she 
resumed  her  reading,  after  wiping  her  eyes 
softly.  "  Where  was  I  ?  —  oh  "  — 

"  Father  will  no  doubt  be  able  to  procure 
a  pass  from  General  Washington,  which 
will  admit  the  bearer  into  the  City,  and 
Gulian  will  himself  be  ready  when  you  ad 
vise  us,  and  will  await  you  at  King's  Bridge 


92  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Inn.  Dear  Aunt,  send  me  some  one  soon, 
and  let  me  see  a  dear  home  face,  else  I  shall 
die  of  grief  and  homesickness,  far  from  my 
own  people. 

"Your  loving  and  obedient  niece, 

"  CLARISSA  VERPLANCK." 

By  this  time  Pamela  was  sobbing  aloud, 
and  tears  flowed  down  Miss  Euphemia's 
cheeks,  but  Betty  sprang  to  her  feet  with  a 
little  impatient  stamp,  crying,  — 

"  Aunt,  aunt,  which  of  us  shall  go  ?  Pa 
mela,  you  are  a  gentle  and  charming  nurse ; 
shall  it  be  you  ?  " 

"  I !  "  sighed  Pamela  ;  "  oh,  I  would  go 
to  the  world's  end  for  Clarissa." 

"  But  this  is  to  go  to  New  York,"  cried 
Betty,  with  unconscious  irony ;  "  and  as  we 
can  neither  of  us  go  alone,  why  could  not 
my  father  arrange  for  one  of  us  to  accom 
pany  Mrs.  Seymour,  who  leaves  shortly  to 
be  near  her  brother  for  the  winter?  Did 
you  not  tell  me,  Sally,  that  she  was  going  to 
New  York  ?  " 

"Yes,"  answered  Sally  Tracy,  "she  has 
been  making  all  manner  of  preparations, 
for,  as  you  know,  her  brother  is  imprisoned 
in  the  city ;  and  since  her  acceptance  of  the 


BY   COURIER   POST  93 

pleasure  coach  from  the  Mayor  of  New  York 
(which  he  presented  her  with  when  he  was 
released  from  Litchfield  gaol),  she  has  been 
pining  to  go  to  him.  And,  beside,  she  trav 
els  in  her  coach  as  far  as  possible  ;  and  my 
mother  said  last  night  that  General  Wash 
ington  was  to  send  her  safe-conduct  through 
our  lines  to  the  city." 

"  We  must  first  consult  your  father,"  said 
Miss  Euphemia  gravely,  much  upset  by  the 
suggestion  of  making  up  her  mind  to  do  any 
thing  in  haste,  for  she  was  a  very  deliberate 
person,  and  despised  hurried  decisions.  "  I 
will  find  him  as  soon  as  he  has  finished  the 
dispatches,  and,  moreover,  this  letter  to  him 
from  Gulian  may  have  directions.  I  incline 
to  think  that  you,  Betty,  will  be  the  one  to 
go.  Pamela  can  scarce  bear  the  journey  in 
this  weather,"  and  gathering  her  papers 
carefully  in  her  hand,  Miss  Euphemia  left 
the  room,  and  the  girls  gazed  blankly  at 
each  other  with  startled  eyes  and  throbbing 
hearts. 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHAT    FOLLOWED   A   LETTER 

"  IT  was  all  decided  last  night,"  said 
Betty,  tucking  her  little  feet  carefully  under 
her  gown  and  clasping  her  knees  with  her 
hands  to  keep  them  warm,  as  she  sat  in 
Moppet's  chair,  which  stood  close  by  the  fire, 
where  a  log  burned  and  crackled  in  the  big 
chimney  —  a  most  unusual  luxury  for  those 
days,  and  granted  only  to  Moppet's  youth 
and  slight  delicacy  of  constitution.  "  Father 
found  the  pass  from  General  Washington 
among  his  dispatches  brought  by  the  cou 
rier  ;  and  as  it  includes  Mrs.  Seymour's  maid, 
he  arranged  with  her  that  I  go  instead,  as 
Mrs.  Seymour  kindly  says  she  can  procure 
another  attendant  in  New  York.  I  can 
scarce  believe  it  possible,  Sally.  Oh,  fancy 
my  having  to  live  in  a  city  occupied  by  the 
British ! " 

"  Ah,"  sighed  Miss  Moppet,  pressing  her 
head  against  Betty's  knee,  and  a  spark  of 


WHAT   FOLLOWED   A   LETTER  95 

interest  lighting  up  her  doleful  little  face, 
"  if  only  some  of  them  be  like  my  good  " 

"  Oh,  some  of  the  Tories  may  be  passably 
amusing,"  said  Betty  hastily,  giving  Moppet 
a  warning  glance,  as  she  checked  the  words 
on  the  child's  lips  by  a  soft  touch  of  her 
hand.  "  I  doubt  not  that  Gulian,  my 
brother-in-law,  has  fine  qualities,  else  Cla 
rissa  had  not  been  so  fond  of  him  as  to  leave 
us  all  and  go  so  far  from  us.  But  I  trust 
that  even  Gulian  may  not  see  fit  to  talk 
loyalist  to  me ;  my  naughty  tongue  would 
get  me  into  trouble  straightway." 

"  You  must  learn  to  control  your  tongue, 
Betty,"  said  Moppet  primly,  with  a  roguish 
twinkle  of  her  eyes  upward.  "  Miss  Bid- 
well  says  mine  is  an  unruly  member,  and 
told  me  a  most  dive  tale  of  a  little  girl  whose 
mother  for  punishment  pricked  her  tongue 
with  a  hot  bodkin." 

"  Ugh ! "  cried  Sally,  with  a  shudder,  "  that 
was  in  Puritan  days,  truly." 

"  I  do  not  crave  the  hot  bodkin,"  said 
Betty,  laughing.  "  Miss  Bidwell's  tales  are 
a  trifle  gruesome,  Moppet." 

"  But  I  always  do  love  a  flimming  tale, 
Betty  "  (this  was  Moppet's  invariable  ren 
dering  of  the  word  "  thrilling,"  which  her 


9b  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

lips  had  never  yet  conquered),  "  and  some 
of  them  are  most  bloody  ones,  I  assure  you. 
Oh,  Betty,  Betty,  what  shall  I  do  when  you 
are  gone !  "  and  with  a  sudden  realization  of 
her  loss,  Moppet  gave  a  quick  sob  which 
went  to  Betty's  heart. 

"  Nay,  sweetheart,  be  a  brave  little  maid," 
she  answered,  fighting  a  small  lump  in  her 
own  throat.  "I  would  I  could  take  you 
with  me  ;  but  as  I  cannot,  you  must  hasten 
to  learn  how  to  make  better  pot-hooks  and 
write  me  letters,  which  Aunt  Euphemia  will 
forward  with  hers.  And,  Moppet,  I  think  I 
shall  give  you  in  special  charge  to  Sally; 
how  will  that  please  you  ?  " 

"  I  love  Sally,"  said  the  child  simply,  as 
the  tender-hearted  Sally  knelt  down  beside 
her.  "  Will  you  help  console  me  with  my 
primer  and  that  altogether  dreadful  sampler 
when  my  Betty  is  away  ?  " 

"Indeed  will  I,"  replied  Sally,  much 
amused  with  Moppet's  view  of  the  sampler ; 
"  and  you  shall  come  and  see  me  every  fine 
day,  and  the  wet  ones  I  am  sure  to  be  here 
with  Pamela,  who  has  proclaimed  her  inten 
tion  of  adopting  me  when  Betty  goes.  And 
now  I  must  be  going,  for  it  is  nearly  the 
dinner  hour,  and  my  mother  says  as  I  have 


WHAT   FOLLOWED   A   LETTER  97 

dined  here  three  days  she  bespeaks  iny  pre 
sence  for  one  out  of  four.  So  farewell  until 
to-morrow,  Betty,  when  I  shall  be  here  to 
see  you  start  upon  your  travels." 

Betty  was  busy  enough  all  that  day ;  in 
deed,  nothing  more  than  a  confused'  recollec 
tion  remained  with  her  afterward  of  trunk 
and  two  small  boxes  to  be  packed ;  of  Pa 
mela's  urging  her  acceptance  of  a  new.  lute 
string  slip,  rose-colored,  which  had  recently 
come  to  her  from  Boston  ;  of  Miss  Bidwell's 
innumerable  stockings  all  tucked  carefully 
away  in  one  corner  of  the  hair-covered  brass- 
nailed  box,  and  even  Miss  Moppet's  tenderly 
cherished  blue  bag  embroidered  in  steel 
beads,  which  had  belonged  to  their  mother, 
but  which  Moppet  insisted  could  be  used  by 
Betty  with  great  effect  for  her  handkerchief 
at  a  ball. 

"  Ball,  indeed,"  sighed  Betty,  whose  brave 
heart  was  beginning  to  quail  at  thought  of 
an  untold  length  of  separation  from  her 
beloved  family.  "  I  should  think  the  hearts 
of  the  patriots  imprisoned  in  New  York 
would  scarce  be  occupied  with  balls  in  such 
times  as  these." 

"You  mistake,"  said  Pamela,  who,  truth 
to  tell,  half  longed  for  Betty's  opportunities, 


98  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

for  was  not  her  sister  going  somewhere  near 
Josiah's  post ?  "I  am  sure  Clarissa's  letter 
which  you  read  me  bade  you  bring  all  your 
best  gowns  and  finery,  and  we  have  all 
heard  how  gay  the  army  of  occupation  make 
the  city." 

"Aye,  to  those  who  are  Tories,"  said 
Betty,  with  curling  red  lips,  "  but  for  me  — 
oh,  Miss  Bidwell,  if  you  put  in  another  pair 
of  stockings  I  shall  require  as  many  feet  as 
a  centipede,  who  I  read  has  hundreds  of 
them." 

"Hundreds  of  feet?"  echoed  Miss  Mop 
pet.  "  Oh,  Betty,  do  I  live  to  hear  you  tell 
a  fairy  tale  as  if  it  were  real  ?  " 

"  Read  your  primer,  and  you  will  learn 
many  wonderful  things,"  quoth  Betty, 
snatching  up  the  child  in  her  arms.  "  I 
shall  take  you  straightway  to  bed,  for  we 
must  be  up  betimes  in  the  morning,  you 
know." 

Very  carefully  and  tenderly  did  Betty 
bathe  Moppet's  sweet  little  face,  conib  and 
smooth  the  pretty  curling  hair,  so  like  her 
own  save  in  color,  and  then  run  the  brass 
warming-pan,  heated  by  live  coals,  through 
the  sheets  lest  her  tender  body  suffer  even  a 
slight  chill.  And  when  Moppet  was  safely 


WHAT   FOLLOWED    A    LETTER  99 

lodged  in  bed  Betty  sat  down  beside  her  to 
hold  her  hand  until  she  dropped  asleep. 
But  between  excitement  and  grief  the  child's 
eyes  would  not  close,  and  she  asked  question 
after  question,  until  Betty  finally  announced 
she  should  answer  no  more. 

Moppet  lay  still  for  some  moments,  and 
just  as  Betty  was  beginning  to  fancy  that 
the  long,  dark  eyelashes  were  curling  down 
ward  in  sleepy  comfort  the  dark  blue  eyes 
opened,  and  a  dancing  imp  of  mischief 
gleamed  from  their  depths  in  Betty's  face. 

"  When  you  meet  Captain  Yorke,  Betty," 
whispered  Moppet,  "  be  sure  you  tell  him 
how  Oliver  and  Josiah  hunted  and  hunted 
that  morning,  and  how  I  never,  never 
told"- 

"  Moppet,"  said  Betty,  turning  a  vivid 
pink  in  the  firelight,  "  how  can  you !  " 

"  Yes,"  pursued  Moppet  relentlessly,  "  and 
you  give  him  my  love  —  heaps  of  it  —  and  I 
just  hope  he  may  never  get  taken  a  prisoner 
during  the  whole  war  again." 

"  Go  to  sleep,  dear,"  answered  Betty,  bit 
ing  her  lip ;  but  her  cheeks  did  not  grow 
cool  until  long  after  the  soft,  regular  breath 
ing  told  that  her  little  sister  had  gone  into 
the  land  of  dreams, 


100  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

The  Wolcott  household  was  up  early  that 
cold  winter  morning,  when  Mrs.  Seymour's 
coach,  with  its  pair  of  sturdy,  strong  gray 
horses,  drew  up  at  the  front  door.  It  took 
some  twenty  minutes  to  bestow  Betty's  trunk 
and  boxes  on  the  rumble  behind,  during 
which  time  Mrs.  Seymour  alighted  and  re 
ceived  all  manner  of  charges  and  advice 
from  Miss  Euphemia,  who,  now  that  Betty 
was  fairly  on  the  wing,  felt  much  sinking  of 
heart  over  her  departure.  Mrs.  Seymour, 
a  pretty  young  matron,  whose  natural  gayety 
of  spirit  was  only  subdued  by  the  anxiety 
she  was  suffering  in  regard  to  her  only 
brother,  now  a  prisoner  in  New  York  (and 
for  whose  exchange  she  was  bringing  great 
influence  to  bear  in  all  directions),  listened 
with  much  outward  deference  and  inward 
impatience  to  the  stately  dame,  and  turned 
with  an  air  of  relief  to  General  Wolcott 
when  he  announced  that  all  was  ready  for 
their  departure,  and  with  much  courtliness 
offered  his  hand  to  conduct  her  to  her 
coach. 

"  That  you  will  take  the  best  care  of  my 
daughter  I  am  assured,  madam,"  said  the 
gallant  gentleman.  "  It  is  our  great  good 
fortune  to  have  found  this  opportunity  and 


WHAT   FOLLOWED    A   LETTER         101 

your  kind  escort,  for  owing  to  the  shortness 
of  time  I  have  not  been  able  to  notify  my 
son-in-law  of  Betty's  coming.  But  as  you 
are  going  into  the  city  yourself,  I  depend 
upon  you  to  keep  her  with  you  until  you 
can  place  her  safely  in  Gulian  Verplanck's 
hands.  I  trust  that  you  have  General 
Washington's  pass  close  by  you?  It  is 
quite  possible  that  you  may  need  it  even 
before  you  reach  White  Plains ;  there  are 
many  marauding  parties  who  infest  the 
country  beyond  us." 

"  It  is  here,  general,"  replied  Mrs.  Sey 
mour,  touching  the  breast  of  her  gown.  "  I 
thought  it  well  to  carry  it  about  my  person, 
as  I  am  told  that  even  the  Hessians  respect 
General  Washington's  safe-conduct  to  enter 
New  York." 

Betty,  with  crimson  cheeks,  but  brave 
smiling  eyes,  threw  her  arms  fondly  around 
Miss  Euphemia,  Pamela,  Sally,  and  Miss 
Bidwell,  all  in  turn,  but  Moppet's  soft  cry 
as  she  buried  her  face  in  her  hands  made 
her  lip  quiver,  and  as  she  bent  her  head  for 
her  father's  farewell,  a  reluctant  tear  forced 
itself  down  her  cheek. 

"  The  God  of  our  fathers  be  with  you,  my 
daughter,"  he  said,  taking  her  in  his  arms ; 


102  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  my  love  and  blessing  to  Clarissa  and  her 
husband.  Remain  with  them  until  I  find 
safe  opportunity  to  have  you  return  to  us ; 
advise  us  often  of  your  health  and,  I  trust, 
continued  well-being ;  keep  a  brave  heart  as 
befits  your  name  and  lineage  ;  fare  you  well, 
fare  you  well !  " 

Betty  sank  back  trembling  into  her  seat 
beside  Mrs.  Seymour,  the  door  was  closed, 
and  as  the  coach  rolled  off  she  caught  a 
parting  glimpse  of  Miss  Moppet  lifted  high 
in  General  Wolcott's  arms,  kissing  her  hand 
fondly  as  she  waved  good-by. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

INSIDE    BRITISH    LINES 

"  DRAT  that  knocker ! "  said  Peter  Pro- 
voost. 

The  house  stood  on  Wall  Street,  and  to 
the  fact  that  it  like  a  few  others  had  been 
built  of  brick,  it  owed  its  escape  from  the 
fire  which  ravaged  the  city  in  1776,  the  fire 
which  also  destroyed  old  Trinity  Church, 
leaving  the  unsightly  ruin  standing  for  some 
years  in  what  was  aristocratic  New  York  of 
the  period.  It  was  a  square,  comfortable- 
looking  mansion,  with  the  Dutch  stoep  in 
front,  and  the  half-arch  of  small-paned  glass 
above  the  front  door,  which  was  painted 
white  and  bore  a  massive  brass  knocker. 
That  same  knocker  was  a  source  of  much 
irritation  to  Peter  Provoost;  for  although 
he  was  of  fair  size  for  his  thirteen  years,  he 
could  barely  reach  it  when  mounted  on  the 
very  tips  of  his  toes,  and  even  then  never 
dared  touch  its  shining  surface  unless  his 
fingers  were  clean  —  a  desirable  state  of 


104  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

neatness  which,  alas !  did  not  often  adorn  the 
luckless  Peter.  For  though  tidy  and  care 
ful  enough  when  appearing  before  his  guar 
dians,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Verplanck,  it  must  be 
confessed  that  going  to  and  from  school 
Peter  was  prone  to  lay  down  both  books  and 
hat,  oftentimes  in  the  mud,  and  square  him 
self  pugnaciously  if  he  chanced  to  meet  one 
of  the  boys  of  the  "  Vly  Market,"  who  were 
wont  to  scoff  and  tease  the  Broadway  boys 
unmercifully ;  and  fierce  battles  were  the 
frequent  outcome  of  the  feeling  between  the 
two  sections,  and  in  those  Peter  invariably 
took  part. 

The  family  was  a  small  one,  and  consisted 
of  Gulian  Verplanck  and  his  wife,  his 
grandmother,  Mrs.  Effingham,  a  lovely  old 
Quakeress,  and  Peter,  who,  having  lost  both 
parents  at  an  early  age,  had  remained  in 
Albany  with  his  other  guardian,  Mr.  Abram 
Lansing,  until  some  six  months  before, 
when  it  was  decided  that  he  should  go  to 
New  York  and  be  under  the  Verplanck 
eye  ;  and  although  Peter  had  rebelled  much 
against  the  plan  in  the  first  place,  he  found 
himself  much  happier  under  Clarissa's  gentle 
rule,  and  positively  adored  her  in  conse 
quence.  The  only  lion  in  Peter's  path  at 


INSIDE   BRITISH  LINES  105 

present  was  the  strong  Tory  proclivity  of 
the  head  of  the  house ;  and  although  he  had 
been  warned  by  his  Albany  friends  to  be 
prudent  and  respectful,  the  boy  had  inher 
ited  a  sturdy  patriotism  which  burned  all  the 
more  hotly  for  its  repression. 

On  this  cold  December  afternoon  Peter 
stood,  books  in  hand,  and  surveyed  that 
aggravating  knocker  from  his  stand  on  the 
sidewalk.  He  was  painfully  conscious  that 
his  feet  were  muddy,  and  his  chubby  fin 
gers  certainly  needed  soap  and  water;  it 
was  Friday,  and  Pompey,  one  of  the  black 
servants,  had  evidently  been  scrubbing 
the  front  steps.  Therefore  Peter  debated 
whether  it  would  be  wiser  to  skirt  around 
the  mansion  and  gain  entrance  by  the  area 
steps,  where  no  doubt  he  would  encounter 
Dinah,  the  cook  (who  objected  to  invasions 
of  unclean  shoes),  or  boldly  ascend  the  front 
steps,  struggle  with  that  balefully  glittering 
knocker,  and  trust  to  Pompey's  somewhat 
dim  eyes  to  escape  remonstrance  before  he 
could  gain  his  own  room  and  make  him 
self  presentable.  The  chances  of  a  scolding 
seemed  pretty  equally  balanced  to  Peter, 
and  he  heaved  a  deep  sigh  and  put  his  foot 
on  the  first  immaculate  step  before  him  as  a 


106  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

hand  fell  on  his  shoulder  and  a  merry  voice 
said  behind  him  :  — 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  pondering, 
Peter?  I  have  watched  you  since  I  turned 
the  corner  of  Broadway,  and  truly  for  once 
have  seen  you  stand  absolutely  still.  In 
some  scrape  with  the  Vly  boys,  I  '11  war 
rant  ;  do  you  wish  me  to  come  in  and  plead 
for  you?"  and  Kitty  Cruger  tripped  lightly 
up  the  steps  as  she  beckoned  Peter  to  follow. 

"Now  you  have  done  it  —  not  I!  "  said 
Peter,  with  a  mischievous  chuckle,  as  he  tore 
up  after  her. 

"Done  what?"  asked  mystified  Kitty. 
She  and  Peter  were  fast  friends. 

"Muddied  the  clean  steps,"  quoth  Peter 
with  gleeful  brevity. 

"  Have  I  ? "  glancing  down  carelessly 
until  she  saw  each  dainty  footprint  plainly 
depicted  on  the  white  marble,  side  by  side 
with  Peter's  heavier  tracks.  "  Oh,  what  a 
shame,"  reaching  up  successfully  to  the 
brass  knocker;  "but  I  am  sure  Pompey 
will  forgive  me,  and  you  can  "  —  stopping 
short  as  the  door  opened  and  Pompey  him 
self  stood  bowing  low  in  the  hall. 

"  Good-day,  missy,"  said  he,  for  Kitty 
Cruger  was  a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor 


INSIDE   BRITISH   LINES  107 

at  the  Verplancks'.  "  Miss  Clarissa  is  pretty 
well  to-day,  thank  you,  and  ole  madam  is  in 
the  drawing-room  —  Law !  "  catching  sight 
of  Peter,  who  was  skillfully  slipping  down 
the  hall  in  Kitty's  wake.  "  Dat  you,  Massa 
Peter  ?  Reckon  you  better  hurry,  for  it 's 
mos'  time  for  dinner,  sail." 

But  Peter,  with  great  discretion,  paused 
not  for  reply  as  he  vanished  up  a  back  stair 
case  and  reached  his  own  chamber,  panting 
but  triumphant. 

"  Good-day,  dear  grandma,"  said  Kitty, 
crossing  the  hall  as  Pompey  held  open  the 
door  of  the  drawing-room ;  "I  was  detained 
by  reason  of  the  sewing-bee  at  the  Morrises', 
and  have  barely  time  to  see  you  and  ask  for 
Clarissa." 

"  How  does  thee  do  ? "  said  Grandma 
Effmgham,  drawing  her  little  drab  shawl 
more  closely  around  her  shapely  shoulders 
as  she  laid  down  her  knitting.  "  I  am 
pleased  to  see  thee.  Clarissa  is  somewhat 
stronger  to-day ;  thee  knows  she  has  been 
more  like  her  old  self  since  Gulian  dis 
patched  the  letters  asking  that  one  of  her 
sisters  be  allowed  to  come  to  her.  The  poor 
child  pines  for  a  home  face ;  it  is  natural ; 
thee  sees  she  has  been  long  absent  from  her 
people." 


108  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  Surely  it  is  almost  time  to  get  some 
reply,"  said  Kitty,  as  she  kissed  the  dear 
old  Quakeress,  for  Kitty  was  one  of  Mrs. 
Effingham's  grandchildren,  although  her 
mother  had  been  read  out  of  meeting  for 
having  married  one  of  the  "  world's  people." 
"  I  doubt  that  Clarissa  will  shortly  begin 
to  worry  and  grow  ill  again  unless  kind 
Providence  sends  some  tidings." 

"  Nay,  nay,"  said  grandma  gently.  "  If 
thee  had  half  Clarissa's  patience  it  would  be 
thy  gain,  Kitty." 

Grandma  was  such  a  quaint,  pretty  pic 
ture,  as  she  sat  in. her  straight-backed  chair, 
with  her  Quaker  cap  and  steel-gray  silk  gown, 
her  sleeves  elbow-cut,  displaying  still  plump 
and  rounded  arms  (although  she  was  nearly 
seventy),  and  her  smooth  white  fingers  flew 
rapidly  in  and  out  of  the  blue  yarn  as  she 
resumed  her  knitting  of  Peter's  stocking. 
Peter  was  rather  a  godsend  to  grandma  in 
the  matter  of  stockings ;  no  wool  that  was 
ever  carded  could  resist  his  vigorous  on 
slaughts,  and  it  kept  grandma  busy  all  her 
spare  moments  to  supply  his  restless  feet 
with  warm  covering. 

"  Patience,"  echoed  Kitty,  with  a  comical 
sigh.  "  Nay,  grandma,  give  me  a  few  more 
years  without  it." 


INSIDE   BRITISH  LINES  109 

"  Fie,"  said  grandma,  gazing  at  the  bright 
face  with  her  indulgent  eye ;  "  eighteen  is 
full  late  to  begin  to  learn  to  conform  to  thy 
elders.  I  was  married  and  the  twins  were 
born  at  thy  age,  Kitty." 

"  Good  lack,"  quoth  Kitty.  "  Where  are 
the  men  nowadays,  grandma?  Save  for 
the  redcoats,  and  I  am  not  so  daft  over  Sir 
Henry  Clinton's  gay  officers  as  some  —  no 
doubt  't  is  my  Quaker  blood  —  except  for 
the  officers,  where  are  our  gallants?  Some 
of  mine  are  up  the  Hudson  beyond  the  neu 
tral  ground,  others  with  the  rebels  at  Mor- 
ristown." 

"  Hush,"  said  grandma,  with  an  uneasy 
glance  toward  the  door ;  "  do  not  talk  of 
rebels  in  this  house  :  had  n't  thee  better  run 
up  and  see  Clarissa?" 

"  If  Miss  Kitty  pleases,"  spoke  the  voice 
of  Pompey  at  the  door,  "  will  she  walk  up 
stairs  ?  Young  madam  wants  to  see  her." 

"  Coming,"  said  Kitty,  kissing  grandma 
fondly,  and  then  following  Pompey  as  he 
marched  gravely  up  to  open  the  door  of 
Mrs.  Verplanck's  morning-room.  It  was  a 
tiny  apartment ;  for  when  Gulian  Verplanck 
brought  his  young  bride  home  he  had  added 
a  room  to  the  wing  below,  and  as  it  greatly 


110  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

enlarged  their  bedroom,  the  happy  idea  had 
struck  him  to  throw  up  a  partition,  corner- 
ways,  which  formed  an  irregularly  shaped 
room  opening  on  the  passage,  and  gave 
Clarissa  her  own  cherished  den  in  that  great 
house  of  square  rooms  and  high  ceilings. 
In  it  she  had  placed  all  her  home  belong 
ings  :  her  spinnet,  which  had  been  her 
mother's  (brought  by  sloop  to  New  York 
from  New  Haven),  found  the  largest  space 
there,  and  her  grandmother's  small  spinning- 
wheel  was  in  the  corner  near  the  chimney- 
piece  which  Gulian  had  contrived  to  have 
put  in  lest  his  delicate  wife  might  suffer 
with  cold. 

Near  the  small  log  which  blazed  brightly 
on  the  hearth,  in  a  low  chair  made  some 
what  easy  with  cushions,  sat  a  fair,  fragile- 
looking,  girlish  figure,  in  whose  mournful 
dark  eyes  was  something  so  pathetic  that  it 
suggested  the  old-time  prophecy  that  such 
"die  young."  Clarissa  Verplanck  in  that 
resembled  none  of  her  family,  and  the  one 
reason  for  her  father's  and  aunt's  anxiety 
about  her  was  that  she  was  thought  the 
image  of  a  sister  of  her  mother  who  fulfilled 
the  prophecy.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Clarissa 
was  anything  but  a  mournful  person  in  gen- 


INSIDE  BRITISH  LINES  111 

eral ;  her  spirits  were  somewhat  prone  to 
outrun  her  physical  strength,  and  therefore 
her  sad  little  appeal  for  one  of  her  sisters  to 
cheer  her  had  come  in  the  light  of  a  demand 
to  the  Litchfield  home,  and  alarmed  them 
more  than  anything  else  could  have  done. 

"  Kitty,  Kitty,"  said  Clarissa,  holding  out 
a  welcoming  hand  to  her  visitor,  who  seated 
herself  on  a  cricket  beside  her,  "  why  have 
you  not  been  in  this  four  days  ?  I  am  truly 
glad  to  see  you,  for  ever  since  Gulian  and  I 
dispatched  our  letters  to  my  father  I  have 
been  so  cross  and  impatient  that  I  fear  my 
good  husband  is  beginning  to  tire  of  his 
bargain,  and  lament  a  peevish  wife." 

"  Heaven  forgive  you  for  the  slander," 
retorted  Kitty,  laughing ;  "  if  ever  there 
was  a  husband  who  adored  the  ground  you 
walk  on,  Gulian  is  "  — 

"  Thank  you,"  said  a  quiet  voice,  as  a  tall 
dark  man  entered  from  the  bedroom. 

"  Let  me  finish  my  sentence  —  Gulian  is 
that  benighted  swain,"  burst  in  Kitty. 

"  Again,  my  thanks,"  answered  Gulian 
gravely.  To  none  but  Clarissa  was  he  ever 
seen  to  relax  his  serious  manner  ;  perhaps 
hers  were  the  only  eyes  who  saw  the  tender 
ness  behind  the  stern,  reserved  exterior. 


112  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

He  really  liked  his  cousin  ;  but  although 
Kitty  was  not,  like  most  people,  afraid  of 
him,  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  wearied 
her,  and  she  much  preferred  to  have  her 
gossip  with  Clarissa  when  Gulian  was  safely 
out  of  the  house. 

"  And  now  tell  me  about  the  letters," 
pursued  Kitty.  "  You  sent  for  your  sister, 
grandma  told  me.  Which  one,  Clarissa?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know ;  I  left  the 
choice  to  my  father,  but  I  think  —  I  hope 
it  may  be  Betty.  I  only  wish  I  might  have 
Moppet  as  well,"  and  the  quickly  checked 
sigh  told  Gulian's  keen  ears  what  the  un- 
uttered  thought  had  been. 

"  Betty  —  let  me  see  —  is  that  the  sister 
next  yourself  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  ;  the  sister  next  to  me  in  age 
died  in  infancy.  Then  comes  Oliver,  and 
then  Pamela,  who  is  seventeen  now,  and  next 
my  Betty.  How  I  wonder  if  the  girls  have 
changed  ;  five  years  makes  a  long  gap,  you 
know,  and  even  my  imagination  can  scarce 
fill  it.  Do  you  fancy  we  will  hear  soon, 
Gulian?" 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  he  said  gently,  thinking 
how  often  he  had  sought  reply  to  the  same 
question  in  the  past  week,  and  longing  ten 
derly  to  give  her  the  expected  pleasure. 


INSIDE   BRITISH   LINES  113 

"  It  may  be  that  General  Wolcott  may 
find  some  chance  opportunity  to  send  his 
daughter  at  once,  in  which  event  you  know 
there  would  scarce  be  time  to  hear  before 
she  would  reach  us." 

"  Oh,  Gulian,"  cried  Clarissa,  clasping 
her  hands,  as  a  faint  pink  glow  lit  her  pale 
face,  "  you  did  not  say  that  before.  If  it 
were  only  possible  "  — 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  Kitty  encouragingly. 

"  But,  Gulian,  you  said  in  the  letter  that 
you  would  await  my  sister  at  King's  Bridge 
Inn.  Surely  you  cannot  go  there  and  stop, 
waiting  at  the  Inn  for  days  ?  " 

"  I  can  ride  out  to-morrow,  and,  in  fact, 
I  hastened  through  some  business  at  the 
wharf  to-day  which  enabled  me  to  have 
the  day  free.  I  can  easily  go  to  King's 
Bridge  and  inquire  at  the  Inn  for  dis 
patches  ;  you  will  not  mind  my  being  absent 
all  day  ?  Perhaps  Kitty  will  come  and  bear 
you  company  while  I  am  gone  ?  " 

"  Eight  gladly,"  replied  Kitty ;  "  will  you 
ride  alone,  Gulian  ?  " 

"  I  might,  easily,"  said  Gulian  ;  "  but 
when  I  procured  a  pass  from  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  yesterday  (it  is  an  eight  days'  pass, 
Clarissa)  I  found  that  Captain  Yorke  goes 
to-rnorrow  to  the  neutral  ground  to  inspect 


114  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

troops,  and  I  think  I  shall  take  advantage 
of  his  company." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  said  Clarissa,  put 
ting  her  slender  hand  in  Gillian's  and  look 
ing  with  grateful  eyes  up  at  him,  as  he 
stood  beside  her  chair.  "  Is  he  the  aide-de- 
camp  you  told  me  of,  Gulian,  for  whom  you 
had  taken  a  liking  ?  " 

"  The  same ;  a  fine,  manly  fellow,  the 
second  son  of  Lord  Herbert  Yorke,  one  of 
my  father's  old  friends  in  England.  You 
were  dancing  with  him  at  the  De  Lanceys' 
'  small  and  early,'  were  you  not,  Kitty,  last 
week?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Kitty,  with  a  quick  nod  and 
a  half  frown,  "  he  has  the  usual  airs  and 
graces  of  a  newly  arrived  officer  from  the 
mother-country . ' ' 

"  Perhaps  you  find  the  colonists  more  to 
your  mind,"  responded  Gulian  somewhat 
severely ;  but  Clarissa  gave  his  sleeve  a 
warning  twitch,  as  Kitty  made  answer  with 
heightened  color  :  — 

"  My  own  countrymen  are  ever  first  with 
me,  as  you  know  full  well,  Gulian,  but  one 
must  dance  sometimes  to  keep  up  one's  heart 
in  these  times,  and  Captain  Yorke  has  a 
passably  good  step  which  suits  with  mine." 


INSIDE   BRITISH  LINES  115 

What  Gillian  would  have  replied  to  this 
was  never  known,  for  at  that  moment  an 
outcry  arose  in  the  hall,  followed  by  the 
bump,  bump  of  some  heavy  body  rolling- 
down  the  staircase,  and  Peter's  boyish  voice 
shouting  out,  between  gasps  of  laughter,  — 

"  Pompey,  Pompey,  I  say  !  —  it 's  nobodv 
but  me  ;  oh,  what  a  proper  old  goose  it  is  ; 
do,  somebody  come  and  thrash  him." 

In  a  second  Gulian  and  Kitty  were  out 
side  the  door,  and  beheld  at  the  foot  of  the 
winding  stairs  poor  Pompey,  picking  him 
self  up,  with  many  groans  and  much  rubbing 
of  his  shins,  while  Peter,  rolling  himself 
nearly  double  with  laughter,  stood  midway 
of  the  flight,  with  a  queer  object  in  his  hand 
which  Gulian  seized  hastily. 

"  It  's  only  a  gourd,"  gasped  Peter  be 
tween  paroxysms.  "  I  kept  it  in  my  closet 
for  a  week,  and  half  an  hour  ago  I  stole  a 
bit  of  wick  out  of  Dinah's  pantry  and  dipped 
it  well  in  melted  tallow,  and  then  stuck  it 
inside,  when,  as  you  see,  having  carved  out 
two  eyes  and  a  slit  for  the  nose,  it  looks 
somewhat  ghastly  when  the  light  comes 
forth." 

"  It  's  a  debbil,  debbil,"  cried  Pompey. 
"  Massa  Peter  sent  me  to  find  his  skates, 


116  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  dat  awful  face  "  -  Pompey's  teeth  chat 
tered,  and  Peter  went  off  in  a  fresh  burst 
of  laughter. 

"  It  scared  him  properly,  Uncle  Gulian  ; 
and  though  I  ran  after  him  and  shook  it 
(it  only  looks  gruesome  in  the  dark,  you 
know)  he  never  stopped,  and  he  stumbled 
on  the  first  step,  and  then  he  rolled  —  My ! 
how  he  did  bump  "  —  and  naughty  Peter 
sat  down  on  the  stairs  and  held  his  sides  for 
very  merriment. 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself," 
said  Gulian  sternly,  to  whom  practical  jokes 
were  an  utter  abomination,  "  and  you  de 
serve  to  be  well  punished.  Pompey,  stop 
groaning,  and  inform  me  at  once  whether 
you  have  sustained  any  injury  by  your  fall." 

"  Law,  Massa  Gulian,  you  tink  falling 
down  dat  stair  gwine  to  hurt  dis  chile  ? " 
began  Pompey,  who  entertained  a  warm 
affection  for  the  mischievous  Peter  and 
dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  a  scolding 
from  his  master.  "  Dose  stairs  don't  'mount 
to  nuffin  ;  ef  it  had  been  de  area  steps  dey 
moughten  be  dangerous.  Massa  knows 
boys  mus'  have  dey  fun  ;  please  'cuse  me 
for  makin'  such  a  bobbery." 

"  Well,  I  did  it,"  said  Peter  sturdily,  in- 


INSIDE   BRITISH  LINES  117 

stantly  sobered  by  the  expression  of  his 
uncle's  face,  and  his  generous  heart  touched 
with  Pompey's  defense  of  his  prank,  "  and 
nobody  helped  me,  so  let  's  have  the  whip 
ping  right  off  before  dinner,  please,  Uncle 
Gulian,  and  then  I  can  eat  in  peace  — 
even  if  I  am  a  trifle  sore,"  wound  up  the 
sinner  ruefully. 

Gulian  Verplanck's  sense  of  humor  was 
not  keen,  but  the  situation  was  too  much 
for  him,  and  a  queer,  grim  smile  lit  up  his 
eyes,  as  he  said  slowly  :  — 

"As  Pompey  seems  more  frightened  than 
hurt,  and  has  interceded  for  you,  I  shall 
not  punish  you  this  time,  Peter  ;  but  recol 
lect  that  the  very  first  occasion  after  this 
that  you  see  fit  to  practice  a  joke  on  any 
member  of  my  household,  your  skates  will 
be  confiscated  for  the  remainder  of  the 
winter,"  and  with  a  warning  glance  he  fol 
lowed  Kitty  back  into  his  wife's  room,  leav 
ing  Pompey  on  the  staircase,  still  rubbing 
his  bruised  shins,  while  the  irrepressible 
Peter  indulged  once  more  in  a  convulsion 
of  silent  laughter  which  bent  him  double 
and  threatened  to  burst  every  button  off  his 
tightly  fitting  jacket. 


CHAPTER  IX 

BETTY'S  JOURNEY 

MRS.  SEYMOUR,  having  had  the  advan 
tage  of  some  weeks  to  form  her  plans,  had 
carefully  arranged  everything  for  her  own 
comfort,  so  far  as  was  possible,  and  Betty 
Wolcott,  after  the  first  pang  of  parting  was 
over,  began  to  enjoy  the  novelty  of  the  jour 
ney  most  thoroughly.  Except  for  a  few 
days  spent  at  Lebanon,  Betty  had  never 
been  from  home  in  her  life,  and  being,  as 
we  have  seen,  a  bit  of  a  philosopher  in  her 
own  quaint  fashion,  after  the  first  day  spent 
in  Mrs.  Seymour's  cheerful  society  she 
found  herself  much  less  homesick  than  she 
had  expected.  To  begin  with,  the  coach 
was,  for  those  times,  very  comfortable.  It 
was  English-built,  and  had  been  provided 
with  capacious  pockets  in  unexpected  places ; 
it  amused  Betty  exceedingly  to  find  that  she 
was  seated  over  the  turkey,  ham,  cake,  and 
even  a  goodly  pat  of  butter,  carefully  packed 
in  a  small  stone  jar,  while  another  compart- 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  119 

ment  held  several  changes  of  linen,  powder, 
a  small  mirror,  a  rouge  pot,  and  some 
brushes.  Mrs.  Seymour  had  been  born  and 
bred  in  New  York,  and  many  of  her  people 
were  Tories  ;  therefore  she  hoped  to  assist 
the  brother  who,  breaking  apart  from  the 
others,  had  taken  up  arms  for  the  colonists. 

Csesar,  Mrs.  Seymour's  coachman,  was  a 
colored  man  of  middle  age,  a  slave  of  her 
father's,  and,  having  been  brought  from  New 
York  to  Connecticut,  knew  the  route  fairly 
well.  They  broke  the  journey  first  at  a  small 
roadside  tavern,  where  the  horses  were 
baited,  while  Betty  and  Mrs.  Seymour 
gladly  descended,  and  warmed  themselves 
well  by  the  kitchen  fire,  taking  a  drink  of 
warm  milk,  for  which  the  good  woman  who 
had  invited  them  inside  refused  payment. 
She  was  deeply  interested  when  Mrs.  Sey 
mour  told  her  of  their  errand,  and  followed 
them  out  to  the  door  of  the  coach,  bringing 
with  her  own  hands  the  soapstone  which  she 
had  carefully  warmed  for  their  feet,  and  she 
waved  a  kindly  good-by  as  they  rode  off, 
delighted  at  seeing,  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  a  "  pleasure  coach." 

The  first  night  was  spent  by  the  travelers 
in  Danbury,  where  they  proceeded  to  the 


120  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

house  of  Mrs.  Seymour's  cousin,  Mrs.  Beebe, 
and  were  most  warmly  welcomed.  The 
Beebe  household,  which  consisted  of  Mrs. 
Beebe  and  seven  children  (Captain  Beebe 
being  with  the  Connecticut  Rangers), 
trooped  out,  one  and  all,  to  meet  them,  to 
inspect  the  coach,  interview  Ca3sar,  and  ad 
mire  the  horses.  Billy,  the  second  boy,  fra 
ternized  with  Betty  at  once ;  and  after 
learning  all  the  mysteries  of  the  coach  pock 
ets,  helping  Caesar  to  unharness,  and  super 
intending  the  fetching  of  an.  extra  large  log 
for  the  fireplace,  he  roasted  chestnuts  in  the 
ashes  as  they  sat  around  the  chimney-piece, 
and  told  Betty  thrilling  stories  of  the  attack 
on  Danbury  by  the  British. 

"  We  dragged  the  feather-beds  up  to  the 
window,"  said  Billy,  "  and  mother  stuffed  a 
pillow  or  two  in  the  cracks.  My,  how  the 
bullets  did  fly  !  The  children  were  all  bid 
to  stay  in  the  attic  ;  but  as  the  roof  shelves, 
you  know,  it  became  pretty  hot,  especially 
when  the  fires  began,  and  then  mother  did 
get  frightened,  more  especially  when  she  saw 
the  blaze  of  the  Woolford  house,  down  the 
street.  Did  n't  I  just  wish  I  was  a  man,  to 
go  and  help  father  that  day  !  Luckily  for 
us,  the  wind  was  in  the  other  direction  ; 
father  said  that  was  all  that  saved  us." 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  121 

"  And  Divine  Providence,  my  son,'1  said 
Mrs.  Beebe's  soft  voice,  as  she  laid  a  hand 
on  the  boy's  shoulder.  "  Billy's  only  ex 
perience  of  war  was  a  sharp  one  for  a  few 
hours.  He  has  been  longing  ever  since  to 
join  his  father,  but  I  can  only  find  it  in  my 
mother's  heart  to  rejoice  that  he  is  too  young 
to  do  so.  Now,  Billy,  light  the  candles ;  for 
if  our  friends  must  resume  their  journey  to 
morrow,  it  is  full  time  to  retire." 

Betty  found  the  little  room  assigned  to 
her,  with  Billy's  assistance,  but  before  he 
left  her  he  pointed  out  two  small  holes  near 
the  window  frame,  where  bullets  had  entered 
and  remained  buried  in  the  woodwork  ;  and 
as  Betty  curled  herself  up  in  the  centre  of 
the  great  feather-bed,  she  thought,  with  a 
throb  of  her  girlish  heart,  that  perhaps  she, 
too,  might  see  some  of  the  terrors  of  war 
before  she  returned  to  the  shelter  of  her 
dear  Litchfield  home. 

The  next  morning  dawned  cold  and 
chilly  ;  a  few  flakes  of  snow  floated,  thro  ugh 
the  air,  and  Mrs.  Beebe  urged  strongly  the 
wisdom  of  lying  over  for  twenty-four  hours, 
lest  a  storm  should  come  and  render  the 
roads  impassable.  But  Mrs.  Seymour,  after 
a  consultation  with  Cassar,  decided  that  it 


122  AN   UNWILLING   MAID 

was  best  to  push  on  ;  winter  was  approach 
ing,  and  each  day  made  the  journey  less 
feasible.  There  was  a  fairly  good  road  be 
tween  them  and  White  Plains,  and  now  that 
she  had  started  she  was  impatient  to  reach 
the  city.  Betty,  too,  was  eager  to  be  off,  so 
with  many  warm  thanks,  they  again  packed 
the  coach  and  said  farewell  to  the  hospitable 
Beebes,  who  had  insisted  on  adding  fresh 
stores  of  provisions  to  their  hamper  ;  and 
Billy's  last  act  of  friendliness  was  to  slip 
into  Betty's  hand  a  package  of  taffy,  of  his 
own  manufacture,  which  he  assured  her 
"  was  not  over-sticky,  provided  you  use  care 
in  biting  it." 

This  part  of  the  journey  was  cold  and 
cheerless  enough.  The  road  wound  some 
what,  and  the  settlements  were  few,  even 
the  houses  were  far  apart  from  each  other ; 
and  although  the  hills  were  fewer,  they 
heard  Caesar  admonish  his  horses  more  fre 
quently  than  usual,  and  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  day  they  came  to  a  full  stop.  The 
snow  of  the  morning  had  turned  into  a  sort 
of  drizzling  rain  ;  and  CaBsar,  dismounting 
from  his  seat,  announced  to  his  mistress  that 
one  of  the  horses  had  cast  a  shoe. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  cried   Mrs.   Sey- 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  123 

rnour  in  dismay,  preparing  to  jump  down 
into  the  mud  and  investigate  matters. 

"  Dey  's  no  use  at  all  of  madam's  gettin' 
out,"  said  Csesar,  holding  the  door  of  the 
coach,  —  "no  use  at  all.  I  'se  done  got  de 
shoe,  'cause  I  saw  it  a-comin'  off,  an'  here  it 
is.  De  horse  will  do  well  enuf,  'caise  I  '11 
drive  wif  care  ;  but  what  I  wants  to  say  is 
that,  'cordin'  to  my  jedgment,  we  had 
oughter  take  a  turn  to  de  right,  just  hyar, 
which  am  in  de  direction  ob  Kidgefield, 
,vhar  I  ken  fin'  a  blacksmith's  shop,  shuh. 
Ef  madam  pleases,  it 's  goin'  somewhat  out 
of  de  direct  way  to  White  Plains,  but  what 
wid  de  weather,  which  madam  can  see  is  ob 
streperous  an'  onsartain,  I  'm  ob  de  opinion 
dat  Ridgefield  am  de  best  stoppin'  place  for 
dis  night,  anyhow ; "  and  having  delivered 
himself  of  this  exhortation,  Caesar  touched 
his  hat  respectfully,  but  with  an  air  of  hav 
ing  settled  the  question. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Seymour,  for  she 
knew  Csesar  and  Ca?sar's  ways,  and  more 
over  had  much  confidence  in  his  ability  to 
take  care  of  her,  as  well  as  of  his  horses. 
"  Then  take  the  turn  to  the  right,  as  you 
propose.  Are  you  quite  sure  you  are  familiar 
with  the  road  here,  C»3sar  ?  It  will  be  dark 


124  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

soon,  and  I  confess  I  should  not  like  to  lose 
our  way." 

"  Not  gwine  to  lose  de  road  wid  dis  chile 
on  de  box,"  said  Csesar  with  fine  disdain, 
as  he  climbed  to  his  seat  and  rolled  himself 
up  warmly  again,  his  teeth  chattering  as  he 
did  so.  But  he  said  to  himself,  as  the 
horses  started  slowly,  "  Pray  de  Lord  I 
ain't  mistooken  ;  don't  want  to  fall  into  none 
ob  dem  old  redcoats'  han's,  Ca3sar  don't, 
dat  's  sartain." 

Inside  the  coach,  which  lumbered  on  so 
slowly  that  it  almost  seemed  to  crawl,  Mrs. 
Seymour  and  Betty  tried  to  keep  up  their 
spirits  by  an  occasional  remark  of  cheerful 
character,  and  Betty  suggested  that  perhaps 
some  bread  and  cheese  from  the  Beebe 
larder  would  prove  satisfactory  to  Csesar ; 
but  on  asking  the  question  Caesar  only  shook 
his  head,  and  responded  that  he  was  too 
busy  looking  after  the  horses  to  eat ;  and 
the  long  hours  dragged  on  as  it  grew  darker 
and  darker.  Betty  rested  her  head  against 
the  door  and  peered  out  at  the  dripping 
trees,  whose  bare  limbs  stood  like  skele 
tons  against  the  leaden  sky.  Mrs.  Seymour 
had  sunk  into  a  fitful  doze  by  her  side. 
Suddenly  the  off  horse  gave  a  plunge,  the 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  125 

coacli  tilted  far  to  one  side,  and  then  righted 
itself  as  Caesar's  loud  "  Whoa,  dar  !  Steady ! 
steady !  "  was  heard.  Then  Betty  saw  half  a 
dozen  shadowy  forms  surround  them,  and 
a  voice  said  sharply,  "  Who  goes  there  ? 
Plait !  "  and  a  hand  was  laid  roughly  on  the 
door  of  the  coach. 

"  Pray  who  are  you  who  detain  ladies  on 
a  journey  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Seymour,  addressing 
the  man  nearest  her.  "  I  am  in  my  own 
coach  with  a  maid  on  our  way  to  New  York, 
and  one  of  my  horses  has  cast  a  shoe." 

"  Stand  aside  there,"  said  another  voice 
impatiently,  as  an  officer  dismounted  from 
his  horse,  and  flung  the  rein  to  one  of  the 
men.  "  If  you  are  bound  to  a  city  occupied 
by  the  British,  you  must  have  safe-conduct, 
madam,  else  we  are  compelled  to  search  and 
detain  you." 

For  answer,  Mrs.  Seymour  drew  out  a 
folded  paper,  which  the  officer,  straining  his 
eyes  in  the  fast-fading  daylight,  read  aloud, 
as  follows  :  — 

"  After  the  expiration  of  eight  days  from 
the  date  hereof,  Mrs.  Seymour  and  maid 
have  permission  to  go  into  the  city  of  New 
York  and  to  return  a<rain. 


126  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  Given  at  Morristown  this  second  day  of 
December. 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 

"  From  the  commander-in-chief,"  said  the 
officer,  raising  his  hat,  as  he  motioned 
his  men  to  stand  back.  "  Madam,  permit 
me  to  present  myself  as  Lieutenant  Hill- 
house  of  the  Connecticut  Rangers,  and  pray 
command  my  services." 

"  Oh,"  gasped  Betty,  from  the  other  side, 
"  our  own  troops,  thank  Heaven  !  " 

"  Truly  you  are  a  welcome  arrival,"  said 
Mrs.  Seymour,  with  a  light-hearted  laugh. 
"  Betty  and  I  have  passed  a  bad  five  min 
utes,  fancying  you  were  Hessians.  I  am  on 
my  way  to  the  city  to  intercede  for  my  bro 
ther,  Captain  Seymour's  exchange,  and,  for 
the  once,  I  do  not  mind  telling  you  that 
my  companion  is  Mistress  Betty  Wolcott, 
consigned  to  my  care  by  her  father,  General 
Wolcott,  as  her  sister,  Mrs.  Verplanck,  lies 
ill  in  New  York,  and  she  goes  there  to  see 
her,  but  she  travels  as  my  maid." 

"  I  met  Lieutenant  Hillhouse  last  summer 
at  my  father's  house,"  said  Betty,  as  the 
young  officer  came  around  to  her  side  of 
the  coach,  "  and  right  glad  I  am  to  see  you 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  127 

now,  sir,  instead  of  the  redcoats  whom 
Caesar,  our  coachman,  has  been  imagining' 
would  start  from  every  bush  as  we  near 
White  Plains." 

"  You  are  not  above  a  mile  from  a  little 
settlement  called  Ridgefield,"  answered  the 
officer  ;  "  and  while  there  is  no  tavern  there, 
my  men  and  I  found  fairly  comfortable 
quarters  to-day.  If  I  may  suggest,  you 
should  get  there  as  soon  as  may  be." 

"  We  would  be  glad  to,"  said  Mrs.  Sey 
mour  ruefully,  "  but  one  of  my  horses  has 
cast  a  shoe,  hence  our  slow  progress.  I  am 
more  than  glad  my  servant  has  not  mistaken 
the  way." 

"  Madam  oughter  to  know  Caesar  better," 
grumbled  that  worthy  from  the  box. 

"  How  long  will  it  take  you  to  drive  the 
remaining  mile  ? "  said  his  mistress  sooth 
ingly.  "  We  may  perhaps  have  your  es 
cort,  lieutenant?  " 

"  I  am  on  my  return  there,  madam ; 
permit  me  to  send  my  men  in  advance  to 
arrange  for  your  comfort,  and  I  will  with 
pleasure  ride  beside  you  until  we  arrive. 
Kidgefield  lies  beyond  that  turn,"  raising 
his  whip  to  direct  Caesar.  "  If  it  were  not 
for  the  growing  darkness,  you  would  see  the 


128  AN   UNWILLING   MAID 

smoke  from  the  chimney  of  the  house  where 
I  am  quartered ; "  and  closing  the  door  of 
the  coach,  the  officer  gave  directions  to  his 
men,  who  inarched  quickly  down  the  road, 
as  he  mounted  and  pursued  his  way  with 
the  ladies. 

Just  beyond  the  farmhouse  which  Lieu 
tenant  Hillhouse  had  pointed  out  as  his 
temporary  quarters  stood  a  low,  wooden 
structure,  with  a  lean-to  in  the  rear,  and 
there  Ca3sar  drew  up  his  tired  horses.  A 
rather  cross-looking  spinster  stood  in  the 
door  of  the  house,  and  as  Betty  and  Mrs. 
Seymour  alighted  she  said  snappishly  :  — 

"  I  don't  own  much  room,  as  I  told  your 
men,  Mister  Lieutenant,  but  so  long  as 
you  're  not  Hessians  I  'm  willing  to  open 
my  door  for  you.  It  won't  be  for  long,  will 
it?" 

"  Oh,  110,"  replied  Mrs.  Seymour,  with  her 
pretty,  gracious  smile,  "  we  are  simply  in 
need  of  a  night's  lodging.  I  think  we  have 
food  enough  in  our  hampers,  and  if  you  can 
give  us  hot  milk  I  have  coffee  ready  for 
making." 

"I  don't  begrudge  you  nothing,"  said  the 
woman  in  a  softened  tone,  as  Betty  bade 
her  a  pleasant  good-day,  "  but  it 's  a  poor 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  129 

place,  anyhow,"  gazing  up  at  the  bare 
rafters,  "  and  as  I  live  here  all  alone  I  have 
to  be  precious  careful  of  my  few  things." 

"  But  it  's  so  neat  and  clean,"  said  Betty, 
pulling  a  three-legged  stool  toward  the  fire, 
and  surveying  the  recently  scrubbed  floor ; 
"  we  are  cold  and  weary,  and  you  are  very 
good  to  take  us  in." 

Evidently  the  woman  was  amenable  to 
politeness,  for  she  bustled  around  and  in 
sisted  upon  making  the  coffee,  which  Csesar 
produced  in  due  time  from  his  hamper  under 
the  box-seat,  and  she  laid  a  cloth  on  the 
pine-wood  table,  and  at  last,  after  disappear 
ing  for  a  few  minutes  into  the  darkness  of 
a  small  inner  room,  reappeared  with  three 
silver  spoons  and  two  forks  in  her  hand, 
which  she  laid  carefully  down  beside  the 
pewter  plates  on  the  table  with  an  air  of 
pride  as  she  remarked,  addressing  no  one 
in  particular  :  — 

"  The  forks  was  my  grandmother's,  and 
my  father  fetched  the  spoons  from  a  voyage 
he  made  on  the  Spanish  main,  and  he  al 
ways  said  they  was  made  of  real  Spanish 
dollars." 

Thereupon  Mrs.  Seymour  and  Betty 
fell  to  admiring  the  queer  -  looking  articles 


130  AN    UNWJLLTNG    MAID 

(which  from  their  workmanship  were  really 
worthy  of  admiration),  and  the  spinster  re 
laxed  her  sevei'e  air  sufficiently  to  accept 
a  cup  of  the  coffee  they  were  drinking. 
And  then  Mrs.  Seymour  induced  her  to  give 
consent  that  Caesar  should  have  a  shake 
down  in  a  corner  of  the  kitchen,  and  al 
though  the  bed  which  Betty  and  the  pretty 
matron  had  to  share  was  hard,  it  was  clean, 
and  the  pillows  soft,  and  they  slept  soundly 
and  well  amid  their  rough  surroundings, 
and,  to  confess  the  truth,  enjoyed  the 
novelty  of  the  situation. 

Lieutenant  Hillhouse  aroused  them  early 
in  the  morning  by  a  message ;  and  as  Mrs. 
Seymour  was  not  ready  to  receive  him, 
Betty  ran  out  and  met  him  at  the  door. 

"  You  look  so  fresh  and  bright  that  I  am 
sure  your  night  spent  upon  the  roadside 
has  not  harmed  you,"  said  the  officer,  bid 
ding  her  good-morning.  "  I  am  off  at  once, 
as  I  carry  an  order  to  General  Wolcott  for 
quartermaster's  stores  in  Litchfield.  What 
shall  I  say  to  your  father  for  you?  " 

"  Oh,"  cried  Betty,  rejoiced  at  this  chance 
to  send  word  of  mouth  to  her  beloved  ones, 
"  how  truly  fortunate !  Tell  my  father 
we  are  well  and  in  good  spirits,  and  hope 


HETTY'S   JOURNEY  131 

to  reach  the  neutral  ground  to-night  at 
farthest." 

"  You  may  easily  do  that ;  the  storm  has 
passed,  as  you  see,  and  if  my  friend  Cffisar 
can  urge  his  horses  somewhat,  you  are  not 
likely  to  meet  with  detentions.  One  of  my 
men  has  assisted  in  shoeing  the  horse,  and 
if  you  can,  you  should  start  at  once." 

The  coach  and  Mrs.  Seymour  appeared 
at  this  moment  simultaneously,  and  the 
lieutenant  insisted  upon  seeing  the  ladies 
safely  started.  Betty  seized  the  opportu 
nity  to  ask  for  news  of  Josiah  Huntington, 
and  was  told  of  his  having  rendered  good 
service,  and  that  he  gained  in  popularity 
daily. 

"  And  Oliver  —  my  brother,"  said  Betty, 
leaning  from  the  coach  as  they  were  about 
to  move  off ;  "  what  tidings  of  him  ?  " 

"  He  has  not  been  with  me,"  replied  Hill- 
house  with  some  constraint ;  "  indeed,  I  think 
he  was  to  be  sent  on  some  special  service." 

"  Give  him  my  best  affection,"  said  Betty. 
"  And  oh,  sir,  to  my  little  sister  at  home 
pray  deliver  my  fondest  love,"  and  tears 
were  brimming  in  Betty's  eyes  as  Ca3sar 
flicked  his  whip  at  the  horses'  heads  and 
the  coach  started. 


132  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

The  road  being  somewhat  better  than 
that  already  traveled,  the  miles  which  inter 
vened  between  Ridgefield  and  White  Plains 
were  more  briskly  done,  and  Ca3sar  had  the 
satisfaction  of  pulling  up  his  horses  in  good 
condition  before  the  well-known  tavern  at 
the  latter  place  in  time  for  dinner.  The 
somewhat  pretentious  sign  hanging  out  over 
the  door  had  been  changed  to  suit  the  times 
and  the  tempers  of  the  guests,  for  what  had 
previously  read  "  The  King's  Arms,  Accom 
modations  for  Man  and  Beast,"  was  now 
"  The  Washington  Inn,"  and  beneath  it  a 
picture  in  Continental  uniform  of  a  man 
whose  rubicund  countenance  required  con 
siderable  imagination  to  transform  into  a 
likeness  of  the  commander-in-chief.  As 
there  happened  to  be  a  lack  of  hostlers,  it 
took  some  time  to  get  the  horses  baited,  and 
it  was  later  than  Mrs.  Seymour  could  have 
wished  when  C«sar  finally  made  his  appear 
ance  and  informed  his  mistress  that  all  was 
ready  for  their  departure.  The  weather 
had  been  growing  colder  steadily,  and 
greatly  to  their  surprise  the  travelers 
learned  that  in  all  probability  Harlem  River 
was  frozen,  and  grave  doubts  were  ex 
pressed  by  mine  host  of  the  inn  whether 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  133 

the  ladies  could  gain  their  journey's  end 
without  much  discomfort  and  exposure. 
But  Mrs.  Seymour  and  Betty  were  both  of 
the  opinion  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  linger 
longer  on  the  road,  so  for  the  fourth  time 
tbey  climbed  into  the  coach,  and,  muffling 
themselves  as  closely  as  possible  to  keep  out 
the  cold,  pursued  their  onward  way. 

Five  miles,  eight  miles,  were  covered  with 
fair  speed,  and  Betty's  spirits  were  rising 
rapidly  at  the  thought  that  New  York  and 
Clarissa  were  not  far  away,  when  Ca3sar 
turned  around  on  his  box,  and,  bringing 
his  horses  to  a  walk,  said  in  an  awestruck 
whisper,  — 

"  'Fore  de  Lord,  madam,  I  done  suspect 
de  redcoats  is  comin' ;  d'  ye  heah  'em  from 
de  woods  ober  dar?"  pointing  with  trembling 
hand  in  the  direction  of  a  sound  which  rang 
out  on  the  frosty  air  at  first  indistinctly, 
and  then  resolved  itself  into  a  song. 

"  Under  the  trees  in  sunny  weather, 
Just  try  a  cup  of  ale  together. 
And  if  in  tempest  or  in  storm, 
A  couple  then,  to  make  you  warm," l  — 

sang  a  rollicking  voice,  in  fairly  good  time 

1  A  topical  song  then  in  vogue  in  New  York.  (See 
Story  of  the  City  of  New  York.) 


134  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  tune,  as  a  group  of  men  came  in  sight. 
As  they  neared  the  coach,  the  man  in  ad 
vance  trolled  out  in  an  accent  which  betrayed 
his  Teutonic  origin,  — 

"  But  if  the  day  be  very  cold, 
Then  take  a  mug  of  twelve  months  old !  "    - 

"  Hello,  halt  there  !  "  came  the  command, 
as  the  singer  seized  the  horse  by  the  bridle, 
and  another  soldier  dragged  Caesar  roughly 
from  his  seat ;  "  who  are  you,  and  whence 
bound?" 

"Ask  my  mistress,"  gasped  Caesar,  al 
most  convinced  that  his  last  hour  had  come, 
but  still  having  firm  faith  in  Mrs.  Seymour. 
"Dun  you  know  how  to  speak  to  a  lady  ? " 

"  I  have  safe-conduct  from  General  Wash 
ington  to  enter  New  York,"  said  Mrs.  Sey 
mour  calmly,  extending  her  hand  with  the 
precious  paper  toward  the  first  speaker.  The 
man  took  it,  and  gazed  stupidly  at  it.  Evi 
dently  being  German,  he  could  not  read  it ; 
but  having  turned  it  upside  down  and  gazed 
at  it  for  some  seconds,  he  gave  a  drunken 
leer  as  he  peered  inside  the  coach. 

"  What  you  got  in  your  hamper  ?  blenty 
cognac,  eh  ?  Give  us  a  pottle ;  that 's  better 
than  mugs  of  ale,  eh,  poys  ?  "  and  he  laughed 
uproariously. 


BETTY'S   JOURNEY  135 

"  I  shall  give  you  nothing,"  said  Mrs. 
Seymour  firmly ;  "  if  you  cannot  read  my 
safe-conduct  yourself,  is  there  not  one  of 
your  men  who  can  ?  " 

The  Hessian  was  about  to  make  angry 
reply,  when  a  young  fellow,  evidently  an 
Englishman,  shoved  his  way  through  the 
men  to  the  coach  door. 

"  Stop  that,  Joris,"  he  said,  prodding  the 
corporal  with  his  elbow;  "  give  me  the  paper ; 
I  can  read  it."  But  Joris,  who  evidently 
had  reached  the  stage  of  ugly  intoxication, 
did  not  choose  to  give  it  up,  and  stood  his 
ground. 

"  Ve  wants  cognac,"  he  shouted,  "  an'  you 
comes  out,  lady,  an'  ve  '11  find  for  ourselves 
vhat  you  is,"  and  seizing  Mrs.  Seymour  by 
the  arm  he  attempted  to  drag  her  from  her 
seat  with  some  violence. 

"  The  pistol,  Betty !  "  cried  the  plucky  lit 
tle  woman  as  her  feet  touched  the  ground ; 
but  as  Betty,  with  equally  reckless  courage, 
drew  their  only  weapon  from  its  hiding- 
place,  the  }roung  Englishman  rushed  at  Joris 
with  an  oath,  exclaiming,  — 

"  Look  out,  you  fool  —  here  comes  the 
officer's  patrol,"  and  there  was  a  clatter  of 
horses'  feet,  a  swift  rush,  and  a  voice  de- 


136  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

manding  in  stern  fashion,  "  Stand  back, 
there  !  Whose  coach  is  this  ?  What  do  you 
mean,  fellow,  by  handling  a  lady  in  that 
manner?"  and  Geoffrey  Yorke  struck  Joris 
a  blow  with  his  sheathed  sword  which  nearly 
sobered  him  on  the  spot. 

Back  into  the  corner  of  the  coach  sank 
Betty,  and  as  she  pulled  her  hood  still  far 
ther  over  her  face,  she  felt  as  if  every  drop 
of  blood  she  possessed  was  tingling  in  her 
cheeks,  as  she  saw  Geoffrey,  hat  in  hand, 
dismount  and  read  General  Washington's 
safe-conduct. 

"  I  deeply  regret,  madam,"  he  said,  with 
stately  courtesy  to  Mrs.  Seymour,  "  that  a 
corporal's  guard  should  have  caused  you 
such  annoyance,  and  I  shall  see  that  the  fel 
low  who  treated  you  so  roughly  be  properly 
punished.  Meantime,  if  you  intend  to  enter 
New  York  you  will  be  obliged  to  leave  your 
coach  a  mile  farther  on,  and  cross  the  river 
on  horseback.  King's  Bridge,  as  you  may 
know,  was  fired  some  months  ago  by  the 
rebels,  and  the  flatboat  used  for  ferrying 
has  been  abandoned  on  account  of  the  ice. 
It  will  afford  me  pleasure  to  do  what  I  can 
for  your  comfort  and  that  of  your  compan 
ion.  But  it  is  my  duty,  unfortunately,  to 


BETTY'S  JOURNEY  137 

make   passing  search  of  your  coach ;    will 
you  pardon  me  if  I  do  so  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  Captain  Yorke  advanced  to 
the  door  and  extended  his  hand  to  assist  the 
occupant  of  the  vehicle  to  alight,  but  Betty, 
ignoring  assistance,  attempted  to  spring 
past  him  to  the  ground.  As  the  willful 
maiden  did  so  the  topknot  of  her  hood 
caught  in  a  provoking  nail  of  the  open  door 
and  was  violently  pulled  from  her  head  ;  and 
as  her  lovely,  rosy  face  almost  brushed  his 
sleeve,  Geoffrey  started  back  with  a  low 

cry,- 

"  Betty  !  " 


CHAPTER  X 

A    MAID'S    CAPRICE 

"  Mistress  Betty,  sir,"  came  the  swift 
whisper  in  retort,  and  with  so  haughty  a 
gesture  that  Geoffrey  stepped  back  as  if  he 
had  been  struck,  while  Betty,  with  a  slight 
inclination  of  her  head,  passed  on  to  where 
Mrs.  Seymour  stood  with  Caesar  on  the  other 
side  of  the  coach.  But  if  she  expected  him 
to  follow  she  was  swiftly  made  aware  of  her 
mistake,  for  Geoffrey  merely  pursued  his 
intention  of  searching  the  pockets  of  the 
coach,  and  when  he  emerged  from  it  he 
came,  hat  in  hand,  toward  the  ladies  with 
face  more  calm  and  unruffled  than  Betty's 
own. 

"  If  you  will  resume  your  seats,"  he  said, 
addressing  Mrs.  Seymour,  without  a  glance 
at  Betty,  who  (now  that  her  anger  born 
partly  of  terror  had  passed)  stole  a  quick 
look  at  him,  and  as  quickly  looked  away,  "  I 
will  ride  on  before  you  and  be  waiting  at 
the  river;  if  it  be  safe,  you  will  cross  on 


A    MAID'S    CAPRICE  139 

horseback ;  if  not,  on  foot,  and  I  shall  take 
great  pleasure  in  seeing  that  you  reach 
King's  Bridge  Inn  in  safety."  Whereupon 
he  escorted  Mrs.  Seymour  to  the  coach,  and 
when  he  turned  to  assist  Betty  found  that 
she  was  in  the  act  of  climbing  inside  by  the 
other  door,  where  Caesar  stood  in  attend 
ance. 

"  What  a  provoking  child  it  is !  "  said 
Geoffrey  to  himself  as  he  flung  into  his  sad 
dle,  smiling  at  the  recollection  of  Betty's 
rebuke  and  proud  little  toss  of  her  head. 
" '  Mistress  Betty  '  !  Very  well,  so  be  it ; 
and  thanks  to  the  star  of  good  fortune  which 
guided  my  steps  up  the  road  to-day.  I 
wonder  how  she  comes  here,  and  why,"  and 
Captain  Yorke  gave  his  horse  the  spur  as 
he  galloped  on. 

Some  distance  behind  him  the  coach  lum 
bered  forward,  and  Mrs.  Seymour's  tongue 
rattled  on  gayly.  So  engrossed  was  she  with 
being  nearly  at  her  journey's  end,  and  their 
good  luck  at  having  fallen  in  with  Yorke, 
that  Betty's  silence  passed  unnoticed. 

"  To  think  that  we  should  meet  again," 
ran  Betty's  thoughts.  "  '  Betty,'  forsooth  ! 
How  dare  he  use  my  name  so  freely !  What 
would  Mrs.  Seymour  have  thought  had  she 


140  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

heard  him,  and  how  could  I  possibly  have 
explained  with  any  air  of  truth  unless  I  told 
her  the  whole  story  —  which  I  would  rather 
die  at  once  than  do.  He  has  not  changed 
at  all ;  I  should  have  known  him  anywhere, 
even  in  that  hateful  scarlet  coat,  which  be 
comes  him  so  mightily.  I  wonder  if  my 
rebuke  was  too  severe  "  —  and  here  she  be 
came  conscious  of  Mrs.  Seymour  again. 

"  Yorke  —  did  not  that  handsome  young 
officer  say  his  name  was  Yorke?  Why, 
then  he  must  have  some  kinship  with  the 
Earl  of  Hardwicke :  very  probably  this  young 
man  may  be  a  grandson  of  the  earl.  I  must 
ask  my  sister ;  she  will  have  some  informa 
tion  about  it." 

"  Worse  and  worse,"  thought  Betty.  "  A 
British  officer  —  kinsman  of  an  earl  —  oh, 
me,  in  what  a  coil  am  I  enveloped !  But  at 
least  my  father  knows  all,  and  he  would  not 
hold  me  disloyal." 

The  coach  bumped  and  jolted  along,  and 
finally  came  to  a  standstill,  while  Caesar's 
voice  was  heard  addressing  some  one.  Betty 
looked  out  of  the  window  and  beheld  a  dis 
mal  prospect  enough.  The  bank  shelved 
gradually  down  to  the  river,  which  at  this 
point  was  narrow,  and  between  them  and 


A   MAID'S    CAPRICE  141 

the  other  shore  stretched  a  mixture  of  snow 
and  ice ;  she  could  distinguish  the  flat-bot 
tomed  boat  used  for  ferrying  purposes  stuck 
fast  almost  in  the  middle  of  the  stream. 

"  How  are  we  to  cross  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Sey 
mour  dolefully,  looking  down  at  her  feet. 
"I  wish  I  had  an  extra  pair  of  woolen 
stockings  to  pull  over  my  shoes ;  the  snow 
and  ice  will  be  cold  walking.  What  are 
they  doing  to  the  horses  ?  " 

"  Will  it  please  you  to  alight,  madam  ?  " 
said  Geoffrey,  springing  from  his  saddle  at 
the  door  of  the  coach.  "  My  men  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  ice  will  not  bear  so  much 
weight  as  your  coach  with  you  ladies  and 
Caesar  in  it,  but  if  you  can  mount  your 
horses  we  can  lead  them  and  you  can  cross 
in  safety.  Meanwhile  Caesar  can  remain 
here  to  guard  your  property,  and  when  my 
men  fetch  the  horses  back  they  can  assist 
him  to  transport  the  coach  to  the  other  side. 
I  hope  the  plan  meets  your  approbation.  It 
seems  the  only  feasible  one,  provided  you 
ladies  can  ride  without  a  saddle." 

"  Bless  me,"  cried  Mrs.  Seymour,  "  I  shall 
surely  slip  off  on  the  ice !  Betty  here  is  a 
horsewoman,  but,  alas !  I  am  not." 

"  Then  we  must  contrive  a  way,"  replied 


142  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Geoffrey.  "  If  a  blanket  be  strapped  over 
my  saddle  I  think  you  can  sit  on  it.  —  Caesar, 
put  one  of  those  blankets  on  my  horse  in 
stead  of  yours." 

"  Oh,  that  will  do  nicely ;  how  kind  you 
are,  Captain  Yorke." 

"  Will  the  young  lady  be  able  to  ride  one 
of  your  horses?  "  asked  Geoffrey,  addressing 
Mrs.  Seymour. 

"  I  can  ride  anything,"  said  Betty  hastily, 
"  for  my  mare  is "  —  and  then  she  bit  her 
lip  and  colored  brightly  as  Geoffrey  turned 
toward  her. 

"  You  will  be  quite  safe,  for  I  shall  lead 
your  horse  myself.  Let  me  first  attend 
Mrs.  Seymour." 

Between  terror  and  small  gasps  of  laugh 
ter  Mrs.  Seymour's  mounting  was  accom 
plished,  and  then  Geoffrey  (artful  fellow!) 
summoned  a  tall,  good-looking  trooper  from 
the  patrol,  and,  placing  the  reins  in  Mrs. 
Seymour's  hand,  gave  directions  to  the  man. 

"You  will  hold  the  horse  by  the  bridle 
and  guide  every  step  with  care,  letting  the 
lady  put  her  hand  on  your  shoulder  to  steady 
herself.  Be  watchful  of  the  air-holes ;  I 
think  you  know  the  path  well." 

"  Yes,  captain,"  said  the  trooper,  saluting 


A    MAID'S    CAPRICE  143 

respectfully.  "  Am  I  to  dismount  the  lady 
at  the  Inn?" 

"  Aye ;  go  down  the  path  before  me  ; " 
and  Geoffrey  turned  toward  Betty,  but  again 
the  mischievous  maid  had  been  too  quick  for 
him,  and  he  beheld  her  already  mounted  on 
one  of  the  coach  horses,  where  she  sat  de 
murely  and  at  ease  awaiting  him.  Geoffrey 
seized  the  bridle  and  walked  slowly  down 
the  bank,  taking  great  care  of  his  own  steps 
lest  he  should  by  slipping  cause  the  horse  to 
stumble,  and  in  a  few  seconds  they  were 
slowly  picking  their  way  over  the  rough  ice. 
The  horse's  hoofs  crunched  into  the  snow, 
and  Betty  held  her  breath,  and  a  little  thrill 
went  over  her  as  she  fancied  she  heard  the 
ice  crack  under  them. 

"  Oh !  "  —  a  half -in  voluntary  cry  escaped 
her,  and  Geoffrey  looked  up  reassuringly  as 
he  stroked  the  horse's  neck  and  checked  him 
for  a  brief  second.  Mrs.  Seymour  and  the 
trooper  were  somewhat  in  advance  and  had 
almost  reached  the  opposite  shore. 

"I  —  you  —  that  is  "  —  faltered  Betty, 
meekly  dropping  her  eyelids  —  "  Oh,  sir, 
do  you  really  think  we  shall  gain  the  Inn 
safely?" 

"  There  is  no  cause  for  fear,"  said  Geof- 


144  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

f  rey  coldly.  "  I  know  the  path ;  "  and  he 
plodded  011  in  silence.  Another  few  rods, 
a  slip,  a  half  halt;  but  this  time  it  was 
Yorke  who  stumbled  and  fell  on  one  knee. 

"  Confound  my  sword,"  he  cried,  recover 
ing  his  feet.  "  But  we  are  nearly  there. 
See,  Mrs.  Seymour  has  gained  the  road  and 
is  riding  on  to  the  Inn." 

No  reply  from  Betty ;  in  truth,  if  he  had 
but  known  it,  she  dared  not  trust  her  voice 
lest  its  first  sound  should  be  a  sob.  And 
Yorke,  divided  between  amusement  and 
wrath  at  her  perversity,  vowed  he  would  say 
no  more  until  she  grew  less  capricious. 

The  road  was  well  trodden  and  the  snow 
light  as  the  pair  pursued  it  in  silence.  The 
famous  hostelry  known  as  King's  Bridge 
Inn  was  upon  the  highway  going  up  the 
Hudson,  where  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  ran 
down  to  Harlem  River,  and  many  a  rendez 
vous  and  intrigue  had  been  carried  on  within 
its  low,  wide  rooms  since  the  Colonies  had 
declared  their  independence  of  British  rule. 
As  Yorke  approached  the  door,  inside  which 
Mrs.  Seymour  had  already  disappeared,  a 
tall,  dark  man  in  riding-boots  and  long  coat 
came  hastily  forth,  and  as  Betty  dropped 
the  reins  of  her  horse  he  was  at  her  side, 


A   MAID'S    CAPRICE  145 

"  Oh,  Gulian,"  cried  she,  stretching  out 
both  hands,  "  don't  you  know  me  ?  'T  is  I, 
Betty  Wolcott ;  have  I  outgrown  your  recol 
lection  ?  " 

"Betty,  indeed,"  replied  Gulian  Ver- 
planck,  lifting  her  off  the  horse,  "  and  right 
glad  am  I  to  welcome  you.  What  good  for 
tune  brought  you  in  contact  with  Captain 
Yorke's  patrol?  Had  I  known  of  your 
near  approach,  I  should  myself  have  ridden 
forth  with  him,  but  the  air  was  chilly  and 
I  deemed  it  more  prudent  to  stop  at  the  Inn 
until  to-morrow." 

"  Since  I  see  you  safe  "  —  began  Geof 
frey,  as  Betty  half  turned  toward  him. 

"  You  do  not  know  whom  you  have  so 
kindly  assisted,"  broke  in  Verplanck ;  "  this 
is  Mistress  Betty  Wolcott,  sister  to  my 
wife.  Betty,  I  present  to  you  Captain 
Geoffrey  Yorke,  aide  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
and  my  friend." 

Betty  executed  her  most  stately  and 
deepest  courtesy,  and  Yorke  swept  his  hat 
gracefully  to  the  very  ground;  but  as  she 
raised  her  eyes  she  said,  with  a  mischievous 
glance,  "  I  am  pleased  to  learn  the  name  of 
this  gentleman.  Sir,  I  thank  you,"  and  giv 
ing  him  a  little  gracious  nod,  Betty  vanished 
inside  the  open  door  of  the  Inn, 


146  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

"  Verplanck,"  called  Geoffrey,  as  his 
friend  was  about  to  follow  her,  "  I  shall 
go  directly  back  to  the  city,  for  Sir  Henry 
has  to  make  ready  dispatches  for  England 
and  will  need  me.  Mrs.  Seymour's  coach 
will  be  brought  over  at  once  ;  my  men  are 
assisting  the  negro  servant  in  the  transit. 
Do  you  follow  me  shortly  ?  " 

"  Unless  the  ladies  are  too  weary  we  will 
go  at  once,  for  I  can  obtain  fresh  horses 
here  and  the  Inn  seems  somewhat  over 
crowded  to  stop  the  night.  But  if  you  are 
in  haste,  Yorke,  do  not  wait." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will  depart  at  once. 
But  you  must  have  at  least  two  of  my  men 
as  escort  for  the  coach  and  yourself.  You 
know  there  are  plenty  of  footpads  outlying 
the  city." 

"  I  accept  the  escort  gladly,"  said  Ver 
planck.  "  Farewell,  then,  and  my  hearty 
thanks." 

Betty  and  Mrs.  Seymour  had  been  ushered 
into  a  small  bedchamber,  where  they  were 
making  some  slight  changes  of  dress  when 
Gulian  Verplanck  knocked  at  the  door  and 
informed  them  that  the  coach  would  shortly 
be  ready  for  the  continuation  of  their  jour 
ney.  Betty  followed  him  back  into  the 


A   MAID'S    CAPRICE  147 

waiting-room,  where  a  good  fire  was  burn 
ing,  and  Verplanck  sought  to  find  a  seat  for 
her  near  the  hearth.  The  room  was  occu 
pied  by  perhaps  a  dozen  persons,  all  men  : 
some  troopers,  and  a  group  of  traders  whose 
bundles  of  furs,  lying  on  the  floor  beside  the 
table  where  they  were  partaking  of  glasses 
of  home-brewed  beer,  told  their  occupation. 
On  one  settle,  close  by  the  chimney,  sat  an 
old  man,  somewhat  ragged,  who  had  fallen 
asleep  with  his  head  resting  against  his 
bundle  and  stick,  which  shared  the  bench 
with  him ;  on  the  other  sat  a  slight  youth 
dressed  in  homespun  clothing,  who  instantly 
rose  as  Betty  approached,  and  offered  her 
his  seat. 

"  I  am  warmed  enough,"  he  said,  as  Ver 
planck  gave  brief  thanks ;  "  besides  there  is 
room  here.  Wake  up,  grandfather,"  and 
he  gave  the  sleeping  man  a  gentle  push  as 
he  squeezed  himself  down  beside  him. 

"  Stay  here  till  the  coach  is  ready,  Betty," 
said  Verplanck.  "  Mrs.  Seymour  will  join 
you  presently,"  and  he  departed  to  hasten 
the  hostlers,  who  could  be  heard  outside,  evi 
dently  engaged  in  harnessing  the  horses 
they  were  to  use. 

Betty  looked  around  her  curiously.     The 


148  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

room,  with  its  low  ceilings,  dark  rafters, 
and  sanded  floor,  was  fairly  tidy,  and,  in  the 
light  and  shade  of  the  shifting  fire,  pictur 
esque  and  strange.  A  short,  thick-set  man, 
evidently  the  host,  a  comfortable-looking 
Dutchman,  bustled  in  and  out,  giving  direc 
tions  in  a  perfectly  audible  aside  to  a  maid, 
who  wore  a  queer  straight  cap  and  brought 
in  trays  of  beer  to  the  thirsty  party  of 
traders.  A  little  boy  in  one  corner  was 
playing  with  some  nails  and  a  pewter  plate  ; 
each  time  he  dropped  the  nails,  making  a 
jingling  noise,  the  landlord  said,  "  Hush, 
there,  Hans,"  in  a  loud  whisper,  to  which  the 
child  paid  no  attention.  Betty  wondered 
if  it  was  his  son,  and  felt  as  if  she  would 
like  to  go  over  and  play  with  him ;  and 
then  thought,  with  a  half-homesick  longing, 
of  Moppet  and  the  dear  New  England 
home.  Far,  far  away  ran  Betty's  thoughts, 
as  minute  after  minute  sped  along  and  no 
one  came  to  disturb  her  reverie.  So  en 
grossed  was  she  that  not  even  a  low,  but 
distinctly  spoken  "  hist"  which  came  from 
the  settle  near  her,  aroused  her  until  it 
had  been  given  the  third  time.  Then  she 
started ;  there  was  something  familiar  in 
the  sound  —  was  any  one  speaking  to  her  ? 


A   MAID'S   CAPRICE  149 

"  Hist !  do  not  look  this  way,"  whispered 
a  voice  which  came  from  the  pair  opposite 
her  on  the  other  side  of  the  chimney. 
"  Contrive  to  pass  near  me  as  you  go  out 
—  be  cautious  !  " 

"  All  ready,  Betty  ? "  said  Mrs.  Sey 
mour's  gay  voice,  as  she  came  across  the 
room  toward  her.  "  Where  is  Mr.  Ver- 
planck?" 

"  Here,"  answered  Gulian,  from  the  other 
door.  "  Hasten,  Betty  ;  the  horses  are  eager 
to  be  off." 

"  I  am  coming,"  replied  Betty,  as  she  rose 
hurriedly  and  dropped  her  silk  reticule 
directly  in  front  of  the  mysterious  pair  on 
the  settle.  The  boy  darted  up,  giving  the 
bag  a  furtive  kick  which  sent  it  under 
the  bench. 

"  I  '11  reach  it  for  you,  madam,"  he  said 
aloud,  diving  down  for  it  as  Betty  paused  a 
brief  second.  The  old  man  stirred  sleepily, 
raised  his  head  from  his  bundle,  and  keen 
bright  eyes  that  Betty  knew  well  flashed 
into  hers  as  he  whispered  rapidly :  — 

"  Show  no  alarm,  Betty,  but  no  matter 
how  or  where  you  see  me,  make  no  sign  of 
recognition." 

"  Here  's  your  bag,"  said  the  boy,  spring- 


150  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

ing  to  his  feet.  But  Betty,  never  stopping 
to  thank  him,  ran  rapidly  across  the  room, 
out  of  the  door,  and  darted  into  the  waiting- 
coach,  afraid  to  even  glance  behind  her,  her 
heart  sinking  with  dismay,  for  the  voice  and 
eyes  of  that  ragged  old  man  were  those  of 
her  brother  Oliver ! 


CHAPTER    XI 

ON  THE   COLLECT 

"  PETER,  Peter,"  said  Grandma  Effing- 
ham  in  a  tone  of  gentle  remonstrance,  "  if 
thee  would  only  let  the  ball  alone  Tabitha 
would  keep  quiet." 

"  Stop  it,  Peter,"  said  Betty,  from  the 
doorway,  as  the  irrepressible  youngster  rolled 
over  and  over  on  the  rug,  himself,  the  gray 
cat,  and  the  ball  of  gray  yarn  hopelessly 
entangled.  "Much  you  deserve  all  the 
stockings  that  grandma  knits  for  you  so 
perseveringly ;  just  look  at  the  condition  of 
that  ball  "  —  and  by  a  skillful  flank  move 
ment  she  rescued  the  yarn  as  Tabitha's 
pranks  and  Peter's  tumble  came  to  a  hasty 
conclusion,  and  the  chief  culprit  gained  his 
feet  and  began  to  apologize  for  his  frolic, 
as  the  cat  fled  through  the  door. 

"  I  was  just  waiting  for  you,  Betty ;  you 
girls  take  such  a  long  time  to  put  on  your 
capes  and  furbelows.  I  '11  warrant  Kitty 
will  detain  us  when  we  stop  for  her,  and  we 


152  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

must  hasten,  for  the  sun  will  not  stay  up 
much  longer.  Just  let  me  find  my  muffler 
and  my  skates,"  and  off  tore  Peter,  while 
Betty  tucked  up  her  gown  preparatory  to  an 
afternoon  on  the  Collect  Pond,  whose  frozen 
surface  was  the  resort  of  all  fashionable 
New  York,  both  those  who  joined  the  skat 
ers,  and  others  who  watched  them  from  the 
surrounding  banks,  making  a  gay,  bright 
winter  scene  for  the  spectators  as  well  as  the 
participants. 

It  was  some  three  weeks  since  Betty's 
eventful  journey,  and  as  the  strangeness  of 
her  new  home  and  surroundings  wore  off 
she  was  beginning  to  enjoy  herself.  First 
of  all,  the  dear  happiness  of  being  once 
more  with  Clarissa,  who  had  brightened  and 
strengthened  each  day  since  her  arrival; 
then  Grandma  Effingham's  storehouse  of 
anecdotes  and  pleasant  stories,  to  which 
Betty  listened  with  delight  and  the  respect 
ful  deference  that  youth  of  those  days  paid 
to  age ;  and  last  (though  Betty  would  have 
denied  it  stoutly)  the  frequent  visits  to  the 
Verplancks  of  a  certain  tall  soldier,  whose 
red  coat  made  her  eyes  sparkle  with  dis 
dain,  even  while  her  heart  beat  quicker  at 
sound  of  his  voice.  Truly,  Betty's  soul 


ON   THE   COLLECT  153 

was  torn  within  her,  and  for  every  smile  that 
Yorke  succeeded  in  winning  he  was  sure 
to  receive  such  dainty  snubs,  such  mischie 
vous  flouting  following  swiftly  after,  that  he 
almost  despaired  of  ever  carrying  the  out 
works,  much  less  the  citadel  of  the  willful 
maid's  heart. 

Kitty  Cruger  had  received  Betty  most 
cordially,  but  the  acquaintance  had  not  yet 
progressed  toward  intimacy.  On  several 
occasions  when  Betty  had  been  especially 
teasing,  Yorke  had  seen  fit  to  retaliate  by 
seeking  Kitty's  side,  and,  although  he  was 
far  from  suspecting  it,  he  had  thus  piqued 
his  little  lady-love  extremely.  For  Kitty 
was  a  reigning  belle,  and  the  toast  of  the 
British  officers  as  she  had  been  of  the  Con 
tinentals,  and  she  liked  Yorke  and  Yorke's 
attentions.  If  Betty  had  only  known  whose 
face  came  oftenest  in  Kitty's  dreams,  and 
that  a  blue  sword-knot  was  her  most  cher 
ished  possession,  perhaps  the  dawning  jeal 
ousy  which  she  felt  toward  her  would  never 
have  existed.  Who  can  say  ? 

The  winter  had  set  in  with  great  rigor, 
and  the  troops  had  even  crossed  on  the  ice 
from  Staten  Island  to  the  city ;  sad  tales 
reached  Betty's  watchful  ears  of  privations 


154  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

endured  in  the  army  of  General  Washing 
ton,  and  it  made  her  cheeks  burn  and  tingle 
to  hear  the  jests  and  laughter  of  the  Tory 
guests  who  visited  the  house,  at  the  expense 
of  the  so-called  "  rebels "  against  King 
George.  Of  Oliver,  Betty  had  no  sign ; 
whether  he  had  been  in  the  city  and  accom 
plished  whatever  mission  he  had  in  view, 
she  knew  not.  She  did  not  dare  to  confide 
in  Clarissa,  for  even  had  her  sister's  health 
permitted,  Betty  deemed  it  scarcely  safe  to 
put  her  to  the  test  of  loyalty  as  between 
husband  and  brother. 

All  these  thoughts  and  many  more  were 
crowding  Betty's  brain  as  she  ran  down  the 
steps  of  the  Verplanck  mansion  and  fol 
lowed  Peter  toward  Queen  Street,  where 
Kitty  lived.  The  sun  shone  brightly  and 
the  air  was  crisp  and  clear;  Betty  looked 
charming  in  her  dainty  hood,  tied  with  a 
rose-colored  ribbon  which  nestled  softly  un 
der  her  chin  and  played  at  confining  the 
dancing  curls.  Contrary  to  Peter's  expecta 
tions,  Kitty  was  watching  for  them,  and 
they  proceeded  with  some  speed  along  the 
snowy  streets  until  they  reached  the  Minetta 
Water,  as  the  small  stream  was  called  which 
wound  its  way  across  the  Lispenard  Mead- 


ON    THE    COLLECT  155 

ows,  and  connected  the  "  Collect "  (or  Fresh 
Water  Pond)  with  the  Hudson  River.  At 
the  end  of  Great  Queen  Street  was  a  wooden 
bridge,  and  crossing  it,  the  little  party  con 
tinued  up  Magazine  Street  until  they  reached 
the  Collect  Pond,  on  two  sides  of  which  were 
low  buildings  of  various  kinds,  being  rope- 
walks,  furnaces,  tanneries,  and  breweries,  all 
run  by  water  from  the  pond.  Betty  thought 
she  should  some  day  like  to  come  out  and 
investigate  them  with  Peter  ;  they  were  not 
very  sightly,  but  they  might  prove  interest 
ing.  These  buildings  shut  out  the  view,  and 
until  Betty  stood  on  the  very  bank  she  had 
no  idea  how  brilliant  a  scene  the  Collect  pre 
sented.  The  ground  on  the  north  side  be 
tween  them  and  Broadway  rose  to  the  height 
of  a  hundred  feet,  and  this  hillside  was  cov 
ered  with  spectators  who  were  watching  the 
skaters  with  which  the  ice  was  alive.  Among 
the  crowd  were  many  women  of  fashion, 
muffled  in  their  furs,  carrying  huge  muffs  to 
keep  their  fingers  warm,  and  scarlet  uniforms, 
dotted  here  and  there,  served  to  heighten  the 
effect  of  brilliancy  and  animation.  As  they 
turned  the  corner  of  a  furnace  whose  big 
chimney  had  sheltered  them  for  a  moment,  a 
young  man  darted  up  the  bank  and  greeted 
Kitty. 


156  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"How  late  you  are,"  he  said  reproachfully. 
"  Philip  Livingston  and  I  have  been  watch 
ing  for  you  this  hour.  The  ice  is  in  fine 
condition  ;  may  I  put  on  your  skates  ?  " 

While  young  De  Lancey  was  thus  en 
gaged  Peter  and  Betty  were  making  ready 
also.  Up  in  the  Litchfield  hills,  where  the 
winter  set  in  early  and  lasted  late,  Betty 
had  learned  to  use  her  skates  well,  and  she 
and  her  brother  Oliver  had  been  the  best 
skaters  in  the  township  when  she  was  hardly 
more  than  a  child.  Even  the  timid  Pamela 
had  gained  boldness  and  dexterity  on  the 
clear,  frozen  pond ;  and  therefore  when 
Betty,  with  the  ease  of  a  practiced  skater, 
glided  off  without  assistance,  Peter  flew  after 
her  in  round-eyed  amazement. 

"I  say,  Betty,"  he  exclaimed,  breathless 
with  his  effort  to  catch  her,  "  how  you  do  fly  ! 
My  e"ye  !  there  is  n't  one  of  these  New  York 
dames  or  maids  who  can  equal  you,"  and 
he  chuckled  with  triumph  as  Betty  began 
to  execute  some  very  difficult  motions  which 
she  and  Oliver  had  often  practiced  together. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  Peter  ;  there,  now, 
glide  this  way,  and  take  the  outside  roll  — 
oh !  have  a  care ;  if  you  turn  like  that  you 
will  surely  catch  your  skate  in  mine.    That 's 


ON   THE   COLLECT  157 

better ;  now  cross  hands,  and  go  gently ; 
see,  I  am  cutting  a  face  on  the  ice." 

Surely  enough,  as  Peter  glanced  behind 
he  saw  a  gigantic  profile  grow  on  the  smooth 
surface  beneath  Betty's  little  foot,  and  the 
skaters  around  them  paused  to  wonder  and 
admire. 

"  There,"  said  Betty,  making  a  final  flour 
ish,  "  come  back  to  the  bank  and  let  us  find 
Kitty."  But  as  they  flew  along  Betty  saw 
a  familiar  red  coat  appear  beside  Kitty's 
advancing  figure,  so  dropping  Peter's  hand 
she  dashed  off  in  an  opposite  direction. 
She  headed  for  the  north  bank,  which  was 
less  crowded,  but  slacked  her  speed  a  little, 
fearing  an  air-hole,  as  she  debated  which 
way  to  turn. 

"  Mistress  Betty,"  said  a  voice  just  be 
hind  her,  and  with  a  little  start  she  realized 
that  the  obnoxious  scarlet  coat  had  reached 
her  side,  "  will  you  skate  a  turn  with  me 
down  the  pond  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  and  Betty's  most  roguish  smile 
beamed  into  Yorke's  eyes  as  she  wheeled 
toward  him.  "  Perhaps  you  will  try  a  race 
with  me,  Captain  Yorke  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,  and  for  what  stakes  ?  " 
returned  Yorke,  bending  down  to  secure  a 
strap  which  he  felt  loosen. 


158  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  I  meant  but  a  trial  of  speed  to  the  bridge 
there,  where  we  cross  the  Minetta  Water. 
A  stake  ?  Well,  name  it." 

"  A  knot  of  rose-colored  ribbon,"  said 
Yorke  softly. 

"  Another ! "  cried  Betty  unguardedly,  and 
could  have  promptly  bitten  her  tongue  for 
the  betrayal  of  her  thought. 

"  Ah,  then  you  do  remember  ? "  asked 
Yorke.  "  In  what  have  I  so  deeply  offended 
that  I  can  scarce  gain  speech  of  you  ?  Why 
do  you  flout  one  who  longs  to  show  you  his 
devotion  ?  " 

"  You  forget,  sir,"  said  Betty  coldly, 
"  the  coat  you  wear.  Do  you  fancy  that 
scarlet  commends  itself  to  a  rebel  maid  like 
me,  or  that  the  cause  you  represent  can  be 
aught  but  hateful  to  a  loyal  Wolcott  ?  " 

"  Betty,  Betty !  I  do  beseech  you  "  — 

"  Nay,  we  will  put  entreaty  outside  the 
question.  A  race,  I  think  I  said,  Captain 
Yorke.  I  will  make  the  stake  that  self 
same  bow  of  rose-color  —  if  you  have  kept 
it  so  long." 

An  indignant  flush  dyed  Yorke's  face. 
"So  be  it,"  he  said  briefly,  and  in  a  flash 
they  were  off ;  she,  gracefulv  and  almost 
like  a  winged  bird,  as  she  sped  along  ;  and 


ON   THE   COLLECT  159 

he,  tall,  straight,  and  muscular,  with  a  long, 
staying  stroke,  which  impelled  Betty's  ad 
miration..  The  distance  to  the  bridge  was  a 
good  half  mile,  and  the  spectators  on  the 
hill  presently  perceived  the  racing  pair,  and 
from  the  cries  and  shouts  which  arose  she 
learned,  to  her  added  chagrin,  that  they 
were  seen,  and  their  trial  of  speed  would  be 
eagerly  followed.  On  flew  Betty,  so  intent 
upon  reaching  her  goal  that  she  never  no 
ticed  how  Yorke  crept  closer  and  closer ; 
they  were  almost  to  the  bridge,  when  his 
voice  sounded  at  her  shoulder  :  — 

"  You  should  have  the  race,  sweetheart, 
but  I  cannot  part  with  the  ribbon,"  and 
with  a  sudden  rush  Yorke  darted  past  her 
and  gained  the  bridge  barely  three  seconds 
in  advance. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  had  time  to  whisper, 
as  Betty  stood  still,  with  flashing  eyes  and 
half-quivering  lip,  while  they  waited  for 
Peter,  Kitty,  and  Philip  Livingston,  who 
had  followed  them  down  the  course  ;  "  't  was 
too  dear  a  stake  for  me  to  lose."  But  as 
the  words  left  his  lips,  to  his  astonishment 
and  delight,  with  all  a  child's  frankness, 
Betty  gave  him  her  hand. 

"  Nay,  you  won  the  race  fairly,  and  Betty 
Wolcott  craves  your  pardon." 


160  AN    UNWILLING  MAID 

"  Oh,  my  eye ! "  shouted  Peter,  as  he 
flung  himself  between  them ;  "  't  was  the 
prettiest  race  of  the  season,  was  it  not, 
Kitty  ?  Do,  do  try  a  game  with  the  rest  of 
us,  and  I  '11  be  your  hurlie  myself." 

A  hurlie,  be  it  known,  was  a  small  boy 
or  man  who,  in  the  fashion  of  a  ball-game 
of  the  day,  propelled  the  balls  along  the  icy 
surface  of  the  pond  with  a  long,  sharp- 
pointed  stick,  and  the  race  was  accorded  to 
Vvhoever  first  caught  the  ball,  —  often  a  trial 
of  both  speed  and  endurance  when  the 
course  was  a  long  one. 

"  Are  you  deserting  me,  Peter  ?  "  put  in 
Kitty  playfully  ;  "  the  other  hurlies  are 
busy  with  the  De  Lancey  party  ;  we  must 
have  two  or  three  at  least." 

Yorke  moved  a  step  forward  ;  his  first  im 
pulse  was  to  offer  his  services  to  Kitty,  as 
he  had  done  before,  but  some  fine  instinct 
warned  him  not  to  jeopardize  his  half-recon 
ciliation  with  Betty,  and  before  he  could 
speak,  Philip  Livingston  whistled  to  a  tall, 
slight  lad  who  was  standing  looking  at  them 
from  the  bank  close  at  hand.  In  response 
the  lad  ran  down,  leaped  on  the  ice,  and 
said  pleasantly,  — 

"  Your  pleasure,  sir.    Did  you  call  me  ?  " 


ON   THE    COLLECT  161 

"  Can  you  drive  a  ball  for  me  ?  "  asked 
Philip  ;  "  if  so,  I  '11  promise  you  a  shilling 
for  an  hour  of  your  time." 

"  Indeed  I  will,"  said  the  boy  ;  "  but  let 
me  first  go  tell  Jim  Bates,  there,  who  maybe 
will  be  returning  to  Paulus  Hook,  and  I  '11 
just  bid  him  wait  for  me  over  yonder  in  the 
tan-yard  until  you  gentlefolks  have  had  your 
game." 

Off  darted  the  new  recruit,  and  was  seen 
to  join  a  man  wearing  the  wide  hat  and 
somewhat  greasy  garb  of  a  fisherman,  who, 
after  a  few  words,  nodded  assent,  and  with 
somewhat  slouching  gait  proceeded  leisurely 
across  the  bridge  in  the  direction  of  the  tan- 
yard  referred  to.  Amid  much  laughter  the 
game  began  ;  some  other  acquaintances  came 
down  the  bank  and  joined  them,  and  pre 
sently  Betty  found  herself  darting  over  the 
ice  hither  and  thither,  following  Peter's  pur 
posely  erratic  course,  and  pursuing  the  ball, 
determined  this  time  to  outdo  Yorke,  who 
followed  her  every  motion,  and  whom  she 
again  began  to  tease  and  laugh  at.  But  to 
Yorke  anything  was  better  than  her  scorn 
or  displeasure,  and  when,  by  a  lucky  stroke 
and  a  quick  turn  of  her  skates,  Betty  bent 
down  and  captured  the  elusive  ball,  he  was 


162  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

the  first  to  raise  a  shout  of  triumph,  in  which 
the  merry  party  joined  with  the  heartiness 
of  good-fellowship  and  breeding. 

It  was  growing  dark  and  cold  as  Betty 
climbed  up  the  bank  and  seated  herself  on  a 
pile  of  boards,  while  Peter  unstrapped  her 
skates.  As  she  looked  up,  she  saw  Yorke 
and  Philip  Livingston  talking  with  the  boy 
who  had  been  hurlie  for  Kitty,  and  it  crossed 
her  mind  to  wonder  where  Kitty  had  van 
ished.  So  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  walked 
leisurely  along  with  Peter  toward  the  tan- 
yard  and  turned  the  corner  of  the  furnace 
chimney.  As  she  did  so,  she  almost  stum 
bled  against  a  man,  who  drew  back  suddenly ; 
on  the  other  side  stood  Kitty,  and  Betty  dis 
tinctly  saw  a  piece  of  white  paper  pass  from 
Kitty's  muff  into  the  hand  of  the  stranger, 
whom  she  instantly  recognized  as  the  greasy 
fisherman  who  had  crossed  the  bridge  half 
an  hour  before. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   FACE   ON    THE   WALL 

BETTY  sat  in  her  favorite  seat,  a  low, 
three-legged  cricket,  on  the  side  farthest 
from  the  fire  in  Clarissa's  little  morning- 
room  ;  it  was  the  day  before  Christmas,  and 
Betty's  fingers  were  busy  tying  evergreens 
into  small  bunches  and  wreaths.  Of  these 
a  large  hamperful  stood  at  her  elbow,  and 
Peter  was  cutting  away  the  smaller  branches, 
with  a  face  of  importance. 

"  So  you  have  never  kept  Christmas  be 
fore,"  said  he,  pausing  in  his  cheerful  whis 
tle,  which  he  kept  up  under  his  breath  like 
a  violin  obligate  to  his  whittling  of  boughs ; 
"and  you  don't  believe  in  Kris  Kringie  and 
his  prancing  reindeers  ?  My,  what  fun  we 
boys  had  up  in  the  old  Beverwyck  at  Albany 
last  year,"  and  Peter  chuckled  at  the  recol 
lection  of  past  pranks.  "  Down  here  in  the 
city  it  is  chiefly  New  Year  day  which  is 
observed,  but  thank  fortune  Gulian  is  suffi 
ciently  Dutch  to  believe  in  St.  Nicholas." 


164  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  Yes?  "  murmured  Betty,  her  thoughts  far 
away  as  she  wondered  what  Moppet  was 
doing  up  in  the  Litchfield  hills,  and  whether 
Oliver  had  got  back  safely  to  the  army 
again.  Surely,  he  had  cautioned  her  not  to 
recognize  him,  but  luckily  her  fortitude  had 
not  been  put  to  proof.  And  then  she  won 
dered  what  secret  mission  Kitty  had  been 
engaged  upon  that  day  at  Collect  Pond. 
Somehow  Kitty  and  she  had  been  more  con 
fidential  since  then  ;  and  one  night,  sitting 
by  the  fire  in  Betty's  room,  Kitty  had  con 
fessed  that  she  too  was  a  rebel  —  yes,  a 
sturdy,  unswerving  rebel,  true  to  the  Colo 
nies  and  General  Washington,  and  Betty's 
warm  heart  had  gone  forth  toward  her  from 
that  very  moment. 

"  Clarissa  has  a  huge  crock  full  of  olykeoks 
in  the  pantry,"  pursued  Peter,  to  whom  the 
Dutch  dainty  was  sufficiently  toothsome ; 
"  and  Pompey  has  orders  to  brew  a  fine 
punch  made  of  cider  and  lemons  for  the  ser 
vants,  and  oh !  Betty,  do  you  know  that 
Miranda  has  a  new  follower?  His  name 
is  Sambo,  and  he  comes  from  Breucklen 
Heights ;  he  has  been  practicing  a  dance 
with  her,  and  old  Jan  Steen,  the  Dutch  fid 
dler,  has  promised  to  come  and  play  for 


A    FACE    ON   THE    WALL  165 

them  and  their  friends  in  the  kitchen,  and 
for  my  part  I  think  there  will  be  more  fun 
there  than  at  Clarissa's  card-party  —  don't 
you  ?  Wake  up,  Betty ;  I  don't  believe 
you  've  heard  one  word  I  've  been  saying." 

"  Indeed  I  have,"  replied  Betty,  returning 
to  her  present  surroundings  with  a  start. 
"A  dance,  Peter?  Why,  it  seems  to  me 
the  servants  have  great  liberty  here." 

"  Don't  you  give  yours  a  holiday  up  in 
New  England?  I  thought  you  had  negro 
servants  as  well  as  we  ?  " 

"  So  we  do ;  you  know  that  Miranda  is 
the  daughter  of  our  old  cook,  Chloe.  She 
came  here  with  Clarissa  when  she  was  a 
bride ;  oh,  we  have  a  few  negro  servants  in 
dear  New  England,  Peter,  but  not  so  many 
as  here.  Gulian  told  me  that  there  are  some 
three  thousand  slaves  owned  in  the '  city  and 
its  environs.  But  our  negroes  go  to  church 
and  pray ;  they  do  not  dance,  and  I  know 
Chloe  would  be  shocked  with  Miranda's  flip 
pant  ways.  She  was  ever  opposed  to  dan 
cing." 

"  Don't  be  prim,  Betty." 

"I  —  prim?"  —and  Betty  went  off  into 
a  shout  of  girlish  laughter,  as  she  flung  a 
pine  needle  at  Peter,  who  dodged  it  success- 


166  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

fully  ;  "  that  I  live  to  hear  myself  called 
what  I  have  so  often  dubbed  Pamela.  Fie, 
Peter,  let  Miranda  dance  if  she  will ;  I 
should  love  to  see  her.  It  would  be  far 
more  amusing  than  cards." 

"  Betty,"  said  Peter,  edging  nearer  her 
and  lowering  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  "  I 
heard  that  the  Sons  of  Liberty  had  another 
placard  up  near  the  Vly  Market  last  night, 
and  that  Sir  Henry  Clinton  is  in  great 
wrath  because  they  are  growing  daring 
again.  My  !  would  n't  I  just  like  to  see  one 
of  them  ;  but  they  say  (so  Pompey  told  me) 
that  they  are  all  around  us  in  different  dis 
guises.  That  's  why  they  're  so  difficult  to 
catch ;  it  would  go  hard  with  them  if  the 
Hessians  lay  hands  on  the  author  of  the  pla 
cards." 

"  But  they  will  not ;  I  heard  Gulian  say 
only  last  night  that  the  cleverness  with 
which  the  placards  are  prepared  and  placed 
was  wonderful.  Who  tells  you  these  things, 
Peter  ?  Do  have  a  care,  for  we  are  under 
Gulian's  roof,  and  he  would  be  very  angry 
if  he  knew  that  your  and  my  sympathies  are 
all  on  the  side  of  the  Whigs." 

"  Oh,  I  hear  things,"  murmured  Peter 
evasively.  Then  whispering  in  Betty's  ear, 


A   FACE    ON   THE    WALL  167 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  Kitty  speak  of  Billy 
the  fiddler?" 

"  There 's  no  one  within  hearing,"  said 
Betty,  as  she  finished  her  twelfth  wreath 
and  laid  it  carefully  on  the  floor  beside  her 
cricket.  "  Get  the  other  big  branch  outside 
the  door,  and  sit  down  here  close  by  me 
while  you  pull  the  twigs  off ;  then  you  can 
tell  me  safely,  for  Clarissa  is  sleeping,  and 
she  will  call  me  when  she  wakes.  Of  course 
I  never  heard  of  the  man  you  mention." 

Peter  threw  back  his  head  in  a  prolonged 
chuckle,  as  he  followed  Betty's  instructions 
and  edged  his  cricket  close  to  her  elbow. 

"  Man !  —  well,  he  's  more  like  a  monkey 
than  anything.  He  only  comes  to  my 
shoulder,  and  yet  he  's  old  enough  to  be  my 
father." 

"  A  dwarf,  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  No,  not  precisely ;  the  boys  call  him  a 
manikin,  for  he  's  not  deformed  ;  only  very, 
very  small ;  not  above  four  feet  high.  He 
is  Dutch  and  has  been  a  drummer,  it 's 
whispered,  in  General  Washington's  army. 
They  say  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Harlem 
Lane,  and  beat  the  rally  for  our  troops 
when  Knowlton  fell.  The  Vly  boys  are 
great  friends  with  him." 


168  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  But  I  thought  you  were  at  daggers 
drawn  with  the  boys  of  the  Vly  Market, 
Peter  ?  Surely,  you  told  me  blood-curdling 
tales  of  the  fights  between  them  and  you 
Broadway  boys  ?  " 

"  Oh,  aye,  but  that 's  for  right  of  way, 
and  don't  mean  much  except  when  we  are 
actually  punching  each  other's  heads.  Billy 
can  tell  great  yarns ;  how  his  eyes  flash 
when  he  speaks  of  the  prison  ships,  though 
I  only  heard  him  once,  when  Jan  Steen  was 
talking  foolish  Tory  stuff." 

"  Do  you  think  '  Billy  the  fiddler,'  as  you 
call  him,  is  one  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty?" 

"  H-u-s-h !  "  and  Peter  looked  fearfully 
around.  "  I  don't  dare  say,  but  I  'm  sure 
he  's  true  and  steady.  Betty,  I  wish  I  was 
a  little  taller  ;  if  I  were  I  'd  run  away  some 
fine  morning  and  go  for  a  drummer  boy 
with  General  Washington." 

Betty  looked  up  with  affectionate  eyes  at 
the  sturdy  urchin.  "  I  know  how  you  feel, 
Peter  ;  but  wait  a  bit.  It 's  sad  and  dis 
heartening  enough  now,  God  knows,  but 
perhaps  better  days  may  dawn  for  the  patri 
ots.  My  father  says  we  must  keep  up  our 
hearts  as  best  we  can,  and  trust  in  God  and 
the  Continental  Congress.  Did  I  tell  you 


A   FACE    ON   THE    WALL  169 

how  we  moulded  the  bullets  last  summer  ? 
We  kept  the  tally,  and  over  forty-two  thou 
sand  cartridges  were  made  from  the  statue 
of  King  George,  so  the  women  of  Litchfield 
have  contributed  their  aid  to  the  cause  in 
good  practical  fashion." 

"  Aye,  that  was  fine  !  It  must  have  been 
jolly  fun,  too." 

"  It  was  very  hot,"  said  Betty,  laughing ; 
"  we  tried  it  in  our  big  kitchen,  but  finally 
had  to  melt  the  lead  in  larger  kettles  hung 
over  a  crane  in  the  shed  down  in  the  orchard. 
Aunt  Euphemia  thought  we  would  fire  the 
house,  and  for  many  nights  Miss  Bidwell 
and  she,  protected  by  Reuben  with  a  lan 
tern,  paraded  the  place  before  closing  up, 
hunting  for  stray  sparks  which  she  fancied 
might  fly  in  the  wrong  direction." 

"  What  a  lot  this  hamper  holds,"  said 
Peter,  diving  down  into  it.  "  You  've  made 
enough  wreaths  to  decorate  the  rooms,  I  'in 
sure,  and  your  hands  are  getting  black." 

"  Never  mind  my  hands  ;  soap  and  water 
will  cleanse  them.  Clarissa  wants  a  '  real 
English  Christmas,'  she  said,  and  poor 
dear !  she  shall  have  it.  It  does  my  heart 
good  to  see  her  brighten  and  glow  like  her 
old  pretty  self." 


170  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

"  You  can  thank  Captain  Yorke  for  put 
ting  the  'real  English  Christmas'  into  her 
head ;  there  's  a  fine    Tory  for  you,  Betty. 
Sometimes  I  forget  he  's  one  of  our  foes  — 
he  's  almost  nice  enough  to  be  a  patriot." 

"  He  thinks  he  is  one,  Peter ;  he  owes  his 
loyalty  to  his  king,  and  were  less  than  a 
man  not  to  give  his  services  where  ordered." 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  quoth  Peter  teasingly ;  "you  '11 
be  as  bad  as  Kitty  presently." 

"  How  so  ?  "  returned  Betty,  biting  her 
lip  as  she  turned  her  face  away  from  Peter's 
roguish  eyes. 

"  Why,  Kitty  had  a  walk-over  course  with 
the  scarlet  coats  until  you  came,  and  Cap 
tain  Yorke  was  one  of  her  gallants.  But 
now  I  find  him  at  your  elbow  whenever  you 
give  him  half  a  chance.  But  I  've  seen  you 
snub  him  well,  too ;  you  girls  are  such 
changeable  creatures.  I  'd  not  have  a  scar 
let  coat  dancing  around  after  me  if  I  were 
you,  Betty ;  "  and  Peter  endeavored  to  look 
sage  and  wise  as  he  cocked  his  head  on  one 
side  like  a  conceited  sparrow.  What  reply 
Betty  might  have  made  to  his  pertness  was 
uncertain,  but  at  that  moment  both  doors  of 
the  room  opened  and  Clarissa  entered  by 
one  as  Kitty  flew  in  the  other. 


A   FACE   ON   THE    WALL  171 

"  How  industrious  you  are,"  cried  Kitty, 
as  she  bade  them  all  good-day  ;  "  the  rooms 
will  be  a  bower  of  green,  such  as  Captain 
Yorke  tells  about.  I  came,  Clarissa,  to  beg 
a  note  of  invitation  for  Peggy  Van  Dam. 
She  has  but  just  returned  from  Albany, 
and  will  be  mightily  pleased  to  be  bidden  to 
your  card-party." 

"  I  wondered  if  she  would  be  in  time," 
said  Clarissa,  seating  herself  at  her  claw- 
legged,  brass-mounted  writing-table.  "  Has 
she  changed  much,  Kitty  —  not  that  I 
mean  "  —  and  Clarissa's  sentence  ended  in 
a  laugh. 

"  There  was  room  for  it,"  finished  Kitty. 
"  No,  she  is  just  the  same  :  aping  youth, 
with  the  desire  to  conceal  age." 

"  Oh,  Kitty,  that  's  the  severest  speech 
I  ever  knew  you  guilty  of  !  " 

"  Ill-natured,  aye,"  quoth  Kitty,  with  a 
comical  sigh  ;  "  the  world  's  awry  this  morn 
ing  and  I  must  vent  my  crossness  on  some 
body,  so  let  it  be  Peggy.  But  if  I  can 
carry  her  your  note  it  will  atone  for  my 
peevish  speech  a  dozen  times,  for  is  not 
Captain  Sir  John  Faulkner  coming,  and  you 
know  as  well  as  all  of  us  that  Peggy's  airs 
and  graces  are  most  apparent  in  his  com 
pany." 


172  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Betty  looked  quickly  up  into  Kitty's  face 
as  she  rattled  on  gayly,  and  detected  an 
air  of  trouble  and  anxiety  that  was  most 
unusual.  And  as  they  presently  followed 
Clarissa  downstairs,  she  paused  at  the  land 
ing  and  slid  her  little  fingers  into  Kitty's  as 
she  whispered  :  — 

"  What 's  amiss  ?  You  are  worried,  I 
perceive  ;  can  I  help  you  ?  "  Kitty  started, 
and  turning  her  head  over  her  shoulder  said 
softly :  — 

"  Not  now,  but  I  know  that  you  are  true- 
hearted  and  quick-witted  ;  I  dare  not  say  one 
word  more,"  and  with  an  affectionate  pres 
sure,  she  dropped  Betty's  hand  and  ran 
swiftly  down  the  staircase. 

The  drawing-room  in  the  Verplanck  man 
sion  was  high  of  ceiling,  a  spacious,  stately 
room,  and  its  quaint,  straight-backed  chairs, 
stuffed  ottomans,  and  carved  mahogany  sofas 
were  the  acme  of  elegance  of  those  days. 
The  highly  polished  floor  had  received  extra 
attention  from  Pompey  and  his  assistants, 
while  the  mirrors  shone  brightly  and  re 
flected  the  candles  of  the  brass  sconces 
on  either  side  of  their  glittering  surfaces. 
Betty,  at  Clarissa's  request,  superintended 
the  placing  of  the  card -tables,  and  also 


A   FACE   ON   THE    WALL  173 

that  of  a  huge  silver  salver,  on  which  the 
tiny  cups  for  chocolate  and  the  tall  glasses 
for  mulled  wine  would  be  served  from  a 
table  in  the  dining-room  early  in  the  even 
ing  before  supper ;  also  a  famous  bowl 
of  Indian  china,  where  hot  caudle  would 
appear,  caudle  being  an  English  compound 
with  which  Betty  was  not  familiar.  Peter 
explained  it  to  her  with  due  regard  to  detail ; 
and  smacked  his  lips  over  the  kettle  as  it 
smoked  away  on  Dinah's  kitchen  table,  where 
he  had  invited  Betty  to  come  out  and  see  it. 
"  Dinah  makes  a  sort  of  posset  first,  of 
oaten-meal,  and  then  she  puts  in  coriander 
seeds,  and  raisins,  all  carefully  stoned  (I 
ought  to  know  that,  for  I  helped  her  one 
mortal  hour  last  night  and  got  my  fingers 
sticky  with  the  plagued  stones),  and  some 
cloves  in  a  muslin  bag,  which  are  let  lie  till 
the  caudle  boils,  and  then  removed,  and  last 
of  all,  just  as  it 's  ready  to  serve,  she  pops 
in  a  good  half  bottle-  of  cognac  —  my  !  but 
it 's  prime  !  "  and  Peter  cut  a  pigeon-wing 
and  gave  a  regular  Mohawk  war-whoop,  as  he 
danced  around  the  kitchen  and  disappeared 
through  the  door  just  in  time  to  avoid  Di 
nah's  wet  dishcloth,  which  she  sent  spinning 
at  his  close-cropped  pate. 


174  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Betty  stood  in  her  small  chamber  at 
six  o'clock  that  evening,  contemplating  her 
gown  with  critical  eye.  Parties  in  those 
days  were  early  affairs,  and  in  New  York 
were  known  to  assemble  as  early  as  half  past 
seven.  The  lanterns  which  hung  outside 
every  seventh  house  for  the  purpose  of  light 
ing  the  streets  were  lit  by  the  watchmen  at 
half  past  six,  for  the  winter  days  were  short, 
and  the  denizens  of  Wall  Street  were  wont 
to  pick  their  way  most  carefully  since  the 
great  fire,  the  debris  of  which  in  many  in 
stances  was  still  left  to  disfigure  the  sites 
where  had  stood  stately  mansions.  Betty 
deliberated  for  some  minutes ;  here  were 
two  gowns :  one  must  be  worn  to-night  for 
her  dear  Clarissa ;  the  other  kept  for  the 
De  Lancey  ball,  an  event  over  which  all 
fashionable  New  York  was  agog,  and  which 
would  take  place  on  New  Year's  night,  just 
one  week  ahead. 

On  the  high,  four-posted  bed  lay  the 
gowns  ;  one,  which  had  been  her  mother's, 
was  a  white  satin  petticoat,  over  which  was 
worn  a  slip  of  India  muslin  covered  with 
fine  embroidery,  so  daintily  worked  that  it 
was  almost  like  lace  itself.  The  dames  of 
Connecticut,  and,  indeed,  of  all  New  Eng- 


A    FACE    ON    THE    WALL  175 

land,  were  much  more  sober  in  their  dress 
than  those  of  New  York,  where  the  Dutch 
love  of  color  still  lingered,  and  the  Tories 
clung  to  the  powdered  heads  and  gay  fash 
ions  of  the  English  court  circles.  The  other 
gown  (which  in  her  secret  soul  Betty  longed 
to  wear)  had  been  given  her  by  Gillian,  who 
was  the  most  generous  of  men,  and  who  ad 
mired  his  pretty  sister-in-law  far  more  than 
he  would  have  told  her.  A  ship  had  recently 
arrived  from  England  bringing  him  a  box 
of  gowns  and  gewgaws  ordered  long  since 
for  his  wife,  and  of  these  Gulian  had  made 
Clarissa  happy  by  bidding  her  bestow  on 
Betty  a  gown  such  as  he  considered  fitting 
for  a  grand  festivity  like  the  De  Lanceys' 
New  Year  ball. 

"  Alack  !  "  sighed  the  pretty  maid  to  her 
self,  as  she  contemplated  the  white  satin, 
"  I  will  not  even  raise  the  paper  which 
contains  Clarissa's  present,  for  both  she  and 
Gulian  have  set  their  hearts  upon  my  wear 
ing  it  on  New  Year's  day,  so  't  is  useless  to 
fill  my  breast  with  discontent  when  I  have 
so  good  a  gown  as  this  to  wear  to-night. 
The  skirt  is  a  little  frayed  —  oh  !  how  vex 
ing  !  "  and  Betty  flew  to  her  reticule  for 
needle  and  thread  to  set  a  timely  stitch  ; 


17G  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  now  that  will  not  show  when  the  muslin 
slip  goes  over."  Another  anxious  moment, 
and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  Betty  slipped  on 
the  short  waist  with  its  puffed  sleeves  and 
essayed  to  pin  the  fichu  daintily  around  her 
neck.  Then  she  dived  down  to  the  very 
depths  of  a  chest  of  drawers,  whence  she 
produced  a  small  box,  and  out  of  this  came 
a  single  string  of  pearls.  —  the  pearls  which 
her  mother  had  worn  upon  her  wedding- 
day,  and  Pamela  had  pressed  into  her  hand 
at  parting.  Next,  Betty  with  cautious  steps, 
candle  in  hand,  approached  the  mirror, 
which  graced  the  farther  end  of  her  tiny 
chamber,  and  holding  it  at  arm's  length 
surveyed  herself  as  far  as  she  could  see, 
which  was  not  below  her  dainty  waist,  as 
suited  the  dimensions  of  the  mirror  afore 
said. 

"  I  am  too  white,"  thought  Betty,  with  a 
little  frown,  all  unconscious  of  her  lovely 
coloring  and  exquisite  red-gold  hair,  which, 
guiltless  of  powder,  was  massed  as  usual  on 
top  of  her  head  and  clustered  in  wayward 
little  curls  on  the  nape  of  her  snowy  neck 
and  over  her  white  forehead  ;  "  but  never 
mind,"  —  with  childlike  philosophy,  —  "  my 
gown  for  the  New  Year  ball  has  both  breast 


A   FACE   ON   THE    WALL  177 

and  shoulder  knots  of  rose-color ;  I  wish  I 
dare  steal  one  for  to-night !  But  perhaps 
Clarissa  would  not  be  pleased,  so  I  will  de 
scend  as  I  am.  I  hear  Peter  clattering 
on  the  staircase ;  he  is  no  doubt  superin 
tending  the  servants'  dance,"  and  Betty 
extinguished  her  candle  and  tripped  lightly 
down  past  Clarissa's  door. 

From  the  sounds  and  lights  she  became 
aware  that  she  was  late,  and  had  lingered 
too  long  over  her  toilet,  so  she  hesitated 
for  a  brief  moment  as  she  reached  the  door 
of  the  drawing-room,  where  she  could  see 
Clarissa  and  Grandma  Effingham  standing 
with  a  number  of  guests,  both  dames  and 
gentlemen.  As  she  paused  on  the  thresh 
old  a  graceful,  girlish  picture,  a  tall  form 
emerged  from  the  dim  shades  of  the  hall, 
and  a  hand  met  hers. 

"  Mistress  Betty,  I  salute  you,"  said  Geof 
frey  Yorke,  bowing  low,  "  and  may  I  also 
beg  your  acceptance  of  a  bunch  of  clove 
pinks  ?  They  were  grown  by  my  Dutch 
landlady  in  a  box  kept  carefully  in  her 
kitchen  window,  and  I  know  not  whether 
she  or  I  have  watched  them  the  more  care 
fully,  as  I  wished  to  be  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  them  bloom  for  you  to-night." 


178  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  For  me  ? "  said  Betty,  in  a  delighted 
whisper,  turning  such  glowing  eyes  upon 
him  that  the  young  man  fell  more  madly  in 
love  with  her  than  ever.  "  How  kind !  — 
and  at  this  season?  Oh,  they  are  sweet, 
and  recall  the  garden  walk  at  home.  In 
deed,  sir,  I  thank  you,"  and  scarcely  think 
ing  what  she  did,  in  her  pleasure  at  his 
pretty  attention,  she  thrust  the  bunch  of 
pinks  in  her  fichu,  where  they  lay  close 
to  her  white  throat  and  gave  her  toilet  the 
one  touch  of  color  for  which  she  had  longed. 
Small  wonder  that  Geoffrey's  handsome  face 
lit  up  with  triumph,  or  that  Clarissa  said  to 
herself  as  the  pair  approached  her,  Betty 
dimpling  with  smiles,  "  What  a  charming- 
couple  they  make  !  I  wonder  if  my  father 
would  object  ?  " 

This  was  Clarissa's  first  appearance  in 
society  for  many  months,  and  the  warmth 
with  which  she  was  greeted  showed  how 
large  a  place  the  New  England  girl  had 
made  in  the  regard  of  her  husband's  friends. 
The  party  was  given  chiefly  for  Betty,  that 
she  might  have  plenty  of  partners  at  the 
New  Year  ball ;  and  although  these  were 
mostly  young  people,  there  was  also  a 
goodly  sprinkling  of  dames  and  dowagers, 


A    FACE    ON   THE    WALL  179 

who  smiled  approvingly  when  Betty  was 
presented  to  them,  before  seating  them 
selves  at  the  all-absorbing  card  -  tables. 
Cards  were  much  the  mode  of  the  day,  and 
an  hour  or  more  was  given  to  them  ;  then 
as  the  metheglin  (a  delicious  beverage  made 
of  honey)  and  the  mulled  wine  was  passed, 
the  younger  portion  of  the  company  began 
moving  through  the  suite  of  three  rooms, 
breaking  up  into  small  groups  as  they  did 
so. 

Peter,  who  had  constituted  himself  master 
of  ceremonies  for  the  fun  in  low  life  which 
was  going  on  in  the  kitchen,  darted  up  to 
Betty  as  she  stood  talking  with  Philip  Liv 
ingston. 

"  They  're  just  going  to  begin  to  dance," 
he  said.  "  Miranda  is  perked  out  in  a 
wonderful  pink  gown,  and  Aunt  Dinah  has 
her  best  turban  on  her  head.  Do,  Betty, 
persuade  some  of  the  company  to  come  out 
and  see  the  negroes  dance.  Don't  you  hear 
the  music  beginning  ?  " 

Surely  enough  the  distant  scraping  of  the 
violin  could  be  heard,  and  Bett}r,  seizing- 
Kitty  by  the  hand,  tripped  up  to  Clarissa 
and  repeated  Peter's  request.  Clarissa  hesi 
tated  an  instant. 


180  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

"  Oh,  Gulian,"  cried  Betty,  catching  hold 
of  her  brother-in-law  as  he  came  forward, 
"  may  we  not  visit  the  kitchen  and  see  the 
servants  dance?  Captain  Yorke  tells  me 
that  is  what  is  done  in  England  on  Christ 
mas  Eve,  and  I  am  sure  it  would  afford  us 
all  a  new  amusement." 

Artful  Betty!  She  knew  full  well  that 
any  suggestion  of  England  and  English 
ways  would  appeal  to  Gulian,  and  Yorke, 
who  followed  closely  at  her  side,  threw  the 
potent  weight  of  his  opinion  in  the  scale  by 
saying  quietly  :  — 

"  I  am  told  your  slaves  have  the  very 
poetry  of  motion,  Verplanck ;  permit  me 
to  escort  Mistress  Betty  to  the  servants' 
hall." 

"Servants'  hall!"  whispered  Betty  mis 
chievously  to  Yorke,  as  Gulian  led  the  way 
with  Clarissa  ;  "  we  have  nothing  so  fine  in 
our  humble  colonies,  sir  ;  our  kitchens  must 
serve  for  our  dusky  retainers." 

"  You  know  I  did  not  mean  "  — he  began 
reproachfully.  But  seeing  Betty's  laughing 
eyes,  he  added,  with  a  smile :  — 

"  Nay,  you  shall  not  tease  me  into  vexing 
you  to-night  if  I  can  avoid  it ;  I  will  strive 
to  train  my  tongue  to  please  you." 


A   FACE    ON   THE    WALL  181 

The  kitchen  presented  a  quaint  and  most 
picturesque  appearance.  It  was  a  low,  wide 
room,  and  around  the  wall  ran  shelves  and 
dressers,  on  which  the  pewter  plates  and 
copper  covers  shone  with  such  fine  polish 
that  one  could  almost  see  in  their  surfaces  as 
in  a  mirror.  Between  these  hung  bunches 
of  herbs  and  strings  of  bright-hued  peppers, 
and  in  and  out  on  the  walls,  and  above, 
from  the  rafters,  were  Christmas  greens,  all 
arranged  by  the  servants  themselves,  with 
that  unerring  eye  for  grace  and  color  which 
is  an  attribute  of  the  colored  race.  Aunt 
Dinah,  the  presiding  genius  of  the  kitchen, 
stood  at  one  end  of  the  room.  Her  large 
and  portly  person  was  clothed  in  a  gay 
cotton  print  of  many  colors  ;  and  upon  her 
head  was  twisted  a  bright  silk  handkerchief, 
with  a  most  rakish -looking  bow  which  re 
posed  over  her  left  ear.  The  Verplanck 
slaves,  some  twelve  of  them,  were  augmented 
in  numbers  by  those  of  the  Ludlow,  De 
Lancey,  and  De  Peyster  families,  and  half 
filled  the  spacious  kitchen  as  they  stood 
back  in  rows,  courtesying  and  bowing, 
showing  their  white  teeth  in  smiles  and  low 
laughter,  as  they  recognized  some  "  young 
massa,"  or  "  ole  madam  "  among  the  gentle- 


182  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

men  and  dames  who  smiled  back  upon  their 
faithful,  kindly  faces. 

The  dance  began  with  a  special  contra- 
dance,  in  which  the  performers  copied  with 
great  exactness  the  profound  bows  and  deep 
courtesies  of  the  period,  mimicking  their 
masters  and  mistresses  with  curious  gro 
tesque  grace.  At  the  extreme  end  of  the 
room,  near  Aunt  Dinah,  sat  the  fiddler, 
wielding  his  bow  with  an  extra  flourish  be 
fitting  the  occasion.  Jan  Steen  was  a  well- 
known  character,  and  his  coming  was  looked 
upon  as  a  special  favor,  only  accorded  to 
the  servants  because  they  belonged  to  the 
Verplancks,  a  family  greatly  honored  and 
beloved  among  the  Dutch  settlers  of  Man 
hattan  Island. 

After  the  contra-dance  was  concluded, 
amid  the  applause  and  laughter  of  the  spec 
tators,  four  young  slaves  were  singled  out 
from  the  others,  and  took  their  places  on 
the  floor.  Two  of  these  were  girls,  pretty 
mulattoes,  and  two  young,  bright-colored 
negro  men  as  their  partners.  To  rather  slow 
music  they  went  through  with  a  rhythmic 
dance,  in  which  their  figures  swayed  to  and 
fro,  chiefly  from  the  waist,  a  gliding  serpen 
tine  dance,  evidently  copied  from  the  slaves 


A    FACE    ON   THE    WALL  183 

of  Martinique,  and  brought  to  New  York  by 
the  French  families.  And  then,  to  Peter's 
great  delight,  came  the  event  of  the  evening, 
in  his  eyes,  —  the  dance  of  Miranda  with 
her  new  admirer  from  Breucklen  Heights. 

"  Miranda  is  my  maid,"  explained  Clarissa 
to  Madam  De  Lancey  and  Mrs.  Morris,  as 
they  waited  for  the  performers  to  take  their 
places.  "  I  fetched  her  from  Connecticut 
when  I  was  married,  and  she  is,  as  you  see, 
very  pretty  and  most  graceful.  The  dance 
is  a  species  of  Spanish  dance,  I  fancy,  for  it 
is  done  with  two  scarfs  of  red  and  yellow  ;  I 
purchased  the  stuff  a  year  ago  from  a  Dutch 
peddler,  and  Miranda  begged  it  of  me  last 
week." 

"  Cousin  Clarissa,"  said  Peter,  rushing  up, 
"  we  will  want  more  light  to  enable  you  to 
see  this  ;  the  candles  are  getting  low.  With 
your  permission,  may  Pompey  light  the  big 
lantern  on  the  wall  ?  " 

About  the  middle  of  the  kitchen  hung  a 
lantern  which  had  once  been  used  for  illu 
minating  purposes  outside  the  mansion.  It 
contained  a  piece  of  tin  which  acted  as  a 
reflector ;  and  Peter,  who  had  never  yet  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  it  lit,  had  amused 
himself  that  very  morning  by  putting  in  the 


184  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

candles  for  which  it  was  prepared,  and  in 
formed  Aunt  Dinah  that  he  meant  to  light 
it  by  way  of  a  climax  to  the  festivities  of 
Christmas  Eve. 

"The  big  lantern?"  replied  Clarissa; 
"  it  has  not  been  lit  this  three  years." 

"  I  made  it  ready  this  morning  ;  oh,  do 
say  yes." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Clarissa,  smiling ;  "  but 
tell  Pompey  to  be  careful,  Peter." 

Off  flew  Peter,  and  up  on  a  bench  mounted 
Pompey,  nothing  loth  to  add  dignity  to  the 
scene  by  illuminating  it.  Jan  Steen  drew 
his  bow  across  his  violin  with  a  long,  sweet 
note,  and  out  on  the  floor  glided  Miranda, 
holding  the  hand  of  a  tall,  athletic-looking 
young  negro,  whose  motions  were  grace 
itself.  They  began  at  the  top  of  the  room, 
holding  the  scarfs  aloft,  and  slowly  made 
their  way  down  until  they  were  in  the 
centre,  when  the  full  light  gleamed  strongly 
upon  their  raised  arms,  their  heads  well  up. 
Soft  murmurs  of  applause  began  to  steal 
around  the  room.  Betty  stood  with  Captain 
Yorke  and  Kitty  directly  under  the  lantern, 
beating  time  with  her  fan. 

"  How  graceful  they  are,"  said  Yorke 
softly.  "  See,  even  their  shadows  on  the 


A   FACE    ON   THE    WALL  185 

wall  opposite  are  picturesque  and  wild. 
How  distinct  the  faces  are  !  " 

"  Silhouettes  !  "  burst  in  Kitty  ;  "  have 
you  seen  the  pictures  made  by  the  new  artist 
who  came  from  Albany?  Some  folks  like  to 
be  done  thus,  but  for  me  I  do  not  care  for  a 
black  profile  of  my  own  face.  They  are  cut 
skillfully  enough  in  paper,  however." 

Betty,  wondering  what  had  possessed 
Kitty  to  set  off  on  an  animated  description 
of  silhouettes,  looked  up  at  the  wall,  and 
then  her  heart  almost  stood  still.  That  fine, 
high  forehead,  the  curving  lips,  the  nose, 
with  its  clear-cut  nostrils,  —  not  even  the 
disfiguring  woolly  wig,  stiff  collar,  and  black 
ened  face  and  hands  could  disguise  them  to 
her.  She  gazed  with  sickening  apprehen 
sion  at  the  dancers ;  how  often  she  had  seen 
Oliver  dancing  with  Miranda  when  they 
were  children  together  at  home,  the  perform 
ance  usually  taking  place  in  the  garret,  for 
fear  of  scoldings  upon  the  sinfulness  of  dan 
cing  from  Chloe,  Miranda's  mother ;  oh,  how 
did  he  dare  do  this  here,  where  any  moment 
might  bring  discovery  and  death  ?  Why, 
why,  had  she  failed  to  see  and  recognize  him  ! 
his  disguise  was  very  perfect,  and  yet  — 

The   applause   rang   out  heartily  as   the 


186  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

dancers  tripped  faster  and  faster ;  Betty 
wondered  if  her  torture  would  ever  end. 
Perhaps  it  had  only  begun,  for  Oliver  had 
said  — 

"  Mistress  Betty,"  spoke  Yorke,  and  his 
voice  was  low  and  very  tender,  "  may  I  offer 
you  my  arm  ?  A  glass  of  mulled  wine  would, 
I  think,  be  of  service  to  you."  Stumbling  a 
little  in  her  agitation,  Betty  slipped  through 
the  door  with  him,  on  into  the  dining-room, 
where  he  placed  her  in  a  corner  of  the  wide 
sofa  and  fetched  the  wine. 

"  Drink  it,  every  drop,"  he  said,  smiling 
down  at  her  with  a  masterful  look  in  his 
dark  eyes  that  Betty  had  never  seen  before. 
"  Sweetheart,  trust  me,  and  sit  here  till  I 
return." 

Betty  sipped  her  wine  and  the  truant 
color  came  back  to  her  cheeks,  as  she  saw 
him  vanish  through  the  door. 

"  Have  I  grown  a  coward  ?  "  she  thought 
indignantly.  "  I  was  brave  up  in  the  Litch- 
field  hills  —  how  dare  I  fail  now  !  Captain 
Yorke  must  have  seen  —  and  yet,  how  could 
he  know  Oliver's  face  sufficiently  well  ? 
Ah,"  —  and  Betty  almost  cried  out,  —  "  it 
is  I,  miserable  I,  who  have  betrayed  my 
brother.  We  are  so  strongly  alike  that  " 


A    FACE    ON    THE     IV ALL  187 

"  Mistress  Betty,"  -  Yorke  was  at  her 
side  again,  —  "I  left  you  to  bestow  a  few 
shillings  on  yonder  fellow  who  danced  so  well, 
but  I  could  not  find  him,  and  Mistress  Kitty 
Cruger  tells  me  he  left  at  once  for  Breuck- 
len  Heights,  whence  he  came,  as  there  is  a 
party  crossing  before  daybreak.  I  trust 
you  are  better ;  the  air  was  close  in  your 
kitchen." 

Betty's  two  small  hands  clasped  each  other 
mutely  ;  her  large  eloquent  eyes  were  raised 
to  his  in  the  sweetest  glance  that  ever  maiden 
gave. 

"  God  bless  you  !  "  she  cried  impulsively, 
and,  turning,  fled  through  the  open  door. 


CHAPTER   XIII 


IT  was  a  bright  sunny  morning,  but  very 
cold,  and  snow  lay  packed  hard  and  firm  in 
the  streets  of  New  York,  which,  narrow  as 
they  were,  afforded  little  opportunity  for 
the  sun's  rays  to  penetrate  with  sufficient 
strength  to  warm  the  shivering  pedestrians 
who  were  hurrying  down  Maiden  Lane  in 
the  direction  of  the  Vly  Market.  At  the 
farthest  end  of  the  street  were  the  shops, 
and  one  of  these,  "  The  Sign  of  the  Cross 
Swords,"  stood  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the 
market  itself.  It  was  a  small  affair,  with 
little  grimy  window-panes,  where  were  dis 
played  knives,  scissors,  and  razors,  with 
locks  and  keys  of  many  odd  sorts.  At  the 
door  stood  a  half-grown  boy,  stamping  his 
feet  to  keep  warm,  as  he  droned  out  in  sing 
song  fashion :  "  Walk  in,  gentlefolk,  and 
have  your  razors  ground  ;  we  have  all  man 
ner  of  kitchen  furniture  in  cutlery  within, 
also  catgut  and  fiddle  strings  at  most  reason 
able  rates." 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  189 

But  these  attractions  did  not  appear  to 
bring  many  customers  inside  the  little  shop, 
as  the  passers-by  seemed  chiefly  eager  to 
gain  the  Vly  Market,  where  the  stalls  were 
crowded  with  purchasers  who  were  getting 
the  good  things  there  displayed  to  indulge 
in  keeping  New  Year's  day  with  the  proper 
spirit  of  festivity ;  and  the  shop-boy  was 
about  to  slip  inside  for  the  comfort  of  warm 
ing  his  fingers  and  toes,  when  a  tall,  slender 
fellow  in  fisherman's  dress  accosted  him. 

"  Hey,  you  there !  Have  you  fish-hooks 
and  nets  within  ?  " 

"  Aye,  sir,  in  plenty.  Will  it  please  you 
to  enter?  "  And  the  boy  made  room  for  the 
stranger  to  pass  through  the  narrow  door 
way.  The  shop  was  apparently  empty,  ex 
cept  for  a  middle-aged  man  who  rose  from 
his  seat  on  a  high  stool  near  the  window, 
where  he  was  busily  engaged  in  polishing  a 
pair  of  razors.  As  he  came  forward,  the 
fisherman  addressed  him  :  — 

"  Good-day,  friend.     A  frosty  morning." 

"  But  the  wind  will  turn  to  east  at  sun 
set,"  said  the  other,  with  a  quick  glance 
from  under  his  heavy  eyebrows. 

"  A  good  wind,  then,  for  the  '  Sturdy  Beg 
gar,'  "  was  the  reply,  as  the  fisherman  clasped 


190  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

his  hands  behind  his  neck  with  a  peculiar 
gesture. 

"Then  all's  well,"  returned  the  shop 
keeper,  laying  down  his  razors,  and  motion 
ing  his  customer  to  come  farther  inside. 
"  Whom  do  you  seek  here,  sir  ?  " 

"Mynheer  Wilhelm  Hoffmeister,  known 
commonly  as  '  Billy  the  fiddler.' ' 

"  He  is  off  on  duty  since  last  Tuesday, 
but  must  be  here  to-night  to  play  at  a  grand 
ball  given  at  one  of  the  Tory  houses ;  there 
must  be  news,  for  you  are  the  third  one  who 
has  asked  for  him  since  yesterday." 

"  News  ? "  said  the  fisherman  eagerly  ; 
"  perhaps  you  have  a  billet  for  me  ?  " 

"  And  what  may  you  be  called  ?  "  asked 
the  other  cautiously. 

"Jim  Bates,  from  Breuckleu  Heights." 

"  Then  you  're  all  right,  sir ;  why  did  n't 
you  say  so  before  ?  "  and  the  man,  casting  a 
swift  glance  to  make  sure  that  the  boy  at 
the  door  was  not  looking,  pulled  a  scrap  of 
dirty  paper  from  his  pocket,  which  was  in 
stantly  seized  and  opened  by  the  fisherman. 
As  he  read  the  few  words  it  contained,  the 
anxious  lines  on  his  face  grew  deeper. 

"  It  is  the  only  way,"  he  muttered  to  him 
self,  as  he  tore  the  scrap  into  tiniest  frag- 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  191 

ments,  "  but  I  must  know  from  Kitty  the 
hour."  Then  aloud,  "  Have  you  a  bit  of 
paper,  friend,  on  which  I  can  write  a  mes 
sage  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  said  the  shopkeeper  ;  "  wait 
here  a  moment  until  I  fetch  it,"  and  he 
went  hurriedly  through  a  small  door  at  the 
back  of  the  shop,  leaving  the  fisherman 
standing  near  the  window,  from  which  he 
could  see  the  crowd  outside.  Suddenly  the 
man  uttered  an  exclamation,  and  made  a 
dash  for  the  door,  nearly  upsetting  the  boy 
on  the  threshold. 

"  Tell  your  master  I  will  return  shortly," 
he  said  hurriedly,  and  disappeared  in  the 
direction  of  the  Vly  Market. 

It  happened  that  Madam  Cruger,  thrifty 
housewife  though  she  was,  had  forgotten  to 
order  an  extra  number  of  the  large,  flat 
seedcakes,  known  as  New  Year  Cakes  (and 
without  which  no  gathering  could  be  con 
sidered  complete  for  New  Year  day,  when 
they  were  handed  to  all  callers  with  the 
accompanying  glasses  of  mulled  wine  and 
metheglin),  and  had  therefore  dispatched 
her  daughter,  with  a  colored  servant  carrying 
a  capacious  basket  on  his  arm,  to  purchase 
the  dainty  from  the  one  stall  in  the  Vly  Mar- 


192  AN   UNWILLING   MAID 

ket  where  the  aristocratic  folk  were  wont 
to  deal.  Truth  to  tell,  Madam  Cruger  had 
made  matters  somewhat  uncomfortable  for 
her  portly  cook  when  she  learned  that  the 
cakes  made  by  that  functionary  were  too  few 
to  meet  her  ideas  of  hospitality ;  and  although 
Kitty  knew  that  it  would  require  speed  on 
her  part  to  go  to  the  market  and  return  in 
time  to  dress  and  be  ready  to  receive  their 
visitors  in  the  drawing  -  room  by  twelve 
o'clock,  she  preferred  to  pour  oil  on  the 
troubled  waters  and  procure  domestic  peace 
at  the  expense  of  a  little  personal  fatigue. 
Beside,  it  was  not  unpleasant  to  trip  along 
with  the  merry  crowd,  bent  on  enjoying 
themselves,  and  Kitty  knew  that  she  would 
meet  many  an  acquaintance,  out,  like  her 
self,  on  some  belated  errand  for  New  Year 
day. 

But  there  was  one  occurrence  for  which 
Kitty  had  not  bargained,  and  that  befell  her 
as  she  gained  the  market  door.  The  fisher 
man,  who  had  followed  her  as  swiftly  as  he 
dared  without  creating  notice,  passed  close 
at  her  elbow,  then  turned  and  met  her  face 
to  face.  Kitty  grew  a  little  pale  as  he 
touched  his  cap  respectfully,  but  she  stopped 
in  obedience  to  the  glance  which  met  hers. 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  193 

"  A  Happy  New  Year  to  you,  my  good 
man,"  she  said.  "  I  fear  that  you  and  your 
brother  craftsmen  suffer  this  terribly  cold 
winter.  Stand  aside  out  of  the  chilly  wind 
which  meets  us  through  the  market  door 
and  I  will  speak  to  you.  Cato,"  to  her  ser 
vant,  "  go  on  to  Frau  Hansel's  stall,  and  let 
her  weigh  out  five  pounds  of  seedcakes  for 
rny  mother  ;  I  will  join  you  there  in  a  mo 
ment,"  and  she  turned  back  to  the  fisherman, 
knowing  that  in  the  crowd  she  was  compara 
tively  safe,  provided  her  voice  was  not  loud 
enough  to  attract  attention. 

"What  is  it?"  she  murmured,  almost 
breathless  from  excitement,  yet  striving  to 
maintain  a  quiet,  even  careless  exterior. 
"  I  hoped  you  had  fulfilled  your  dangerous 
errand  and  gone  hence  two  days  ago." 

"  I  cannot  leave  until  my  mission  is  com 
pleted  ;  we  have  almost  certain  news  of  an 
incursion  by  the  British  across  the  Kill  von 
Kull,  which  will  do  much  injury  to  the  peace 
ful  country  folk  of  Elizabethtown  and  New 
ark.  The  man  they  call  '  Billy  the  fiddler  ' 
will  have  a  message  for  me  to-night  of  the 
greatest  importance,  and  he  plays  with  oth 
ers  at  the  De  Lancey  ball ;  are  you  to  be 
there,  and  at  what  hour  ?  " 


194  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  I,  Oliver?"  said  Kitty,  and  turned  rosy 
red  as  the  incautious  word  escaped  her ; 
"  all  New  York  is  going  at  eight  o'clock,  but 
what  has  that  to  do  with  " 

"This,"  whispered  Oliver  Wolcott,  pull 
ing  his  hat  further  down  over  his  eyes,  and 
motioning  Kitty  to  walk  a  few  steps  away 
from  the  door :  "  I  must  be  there." 

"  You  are  mad !  "  and  Kitty  turned  pale 
at  the  idea. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  coming  as  one  Diedrich 
Gansevoort,  from  Albany.  Do  not  fear  for 
me  ;  my  disguise  will  be  very  perfect,  and 
I  go  introduced  by  Abram  Lansing,  from 
whom  I  bring  a  letter  to  Madam  De  Lancey. 
They  are  old  friends,  though  lie  is  as  stanch 
a  Whig  as  she  a  Tory.  I  tell  you,  Kitty, 
't  is  of  vital  importance  that  I  ascertain 
the  facts  of  this  rumored  raid  upon  the 
patriots,  and  I  must  risk  all  to  gain  it. 
Warn  Betty,  lest  she  give  way  to  alarm  ; 
be  brave  and  fear  nothing." 

"  A  Happy  New  Year,  Mistress  Kitty," 
said  a  gentleman  who  approached  her,  fol 
lowed  by  his  negro  servant.  "  I  shall  do 
myself  the  honor  to  pay  my  respects  to  your 
mother  a  little  later  ;  "  and  Mr.  Van  Brugh 
raised  his  three-cornered  hat  in  courtly  sa- 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  195 

lute,  staring  hard  at  Kitty  and  the  fisherman 
as  he  passed  them. 

"  We  are  noticed,"  said  Oliver  calmly  ; 
"  go  on  and  do  your  errand." 

"  But  I  am  so  fearful  for  you,"  gasped 
poor  Kitty,  whose  usual  composure  seemed 
to  be  deserting  her.  "  You  try  me  too  far, 
unless  I  may  do  something  to  aid  your 
escape,  for  a  horrible  sinking  of  my  heart 
seems  to  bode  110  good  to  you." 

"  Put  no  faith  in  omens,"  answered  Oli 
ver,  with  a  smile.  "  I  shall  be  off  at  day 
break.  Farewell,  Kitty,  and  have  no  fear ; 
I  am  well  protected,"  and  mingling  in  the 
crowd,  he  passed  out  of  the  market  door  and 
was  gone. 

With  what  courage  she  could  summon, 
Kitty  sped  on  to  Frau  Hansel's  stand.  The 
seedcakes  had  been  weighed,  decked  with  a 
handful  of  Christmas  greens,  and  placed  in 
the  basket,  and  Kitty,  after  a  few  kind 
words  to  the  old  Dutch  market-woman,  made 
her  way  swiftly  through  the  crowd  and  gained 
the  street. 

"  I  must  warn  Betty,"  she  thought  as  she 
proceeded  up  Maiden  Lane,  and  as  she 
came  to  Queen  Street  she  paused.  "  Go 
directly  home,"  she  said  to  her  servant ;  "  tell 


190  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

my  mother  I  have  stopped  to  see  Grandma 
Effingham  and  wish  her  a  Happy  New  Year. 
I  will  be  back  in  time  to  dress,"  and  off  she 
sped  in  the  direction  of  Wall  Street. 

Betty,  who  like  Kitty,  had  been  spending 
her  morning  assisting  in  preparations  for 
the  New  Year  callers  who  would  present 
themselves  later  in  the  day,  was  dusting  the 
quaint  Dresden  Shepherdess  who  presided 
over  a  corner  of  the  drawing-room  mantel, 
when  a  sharp  knock  at  the  front  door  an 
nounced  a  visitor ;  and  she  fled  out  of  the 
drawing-room  only  to  encounter  Kitty  in  the 
hall. 

"  A  Happy  New  Year  to  you,"  said  Kitty, 
in  a  tone  of  gayety  which  she  was  far  from 
feeling.  "  I  ran  over  to  give  greeting  to 
grandma,  and  as  I  came  my  petticoat  gave 
way;  let  me  mount  to  your  chamber  and 
fasten  it  before  I  go  to  grandma's." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Betty,  and  seizing  hands 
both  girls  ran  rapidly  up  the  staircase.  In 
side  the  small  chamber,  Kitty  closed  the 
door,  and  set  her  back  against  it. 

"  The  petticoat  is  fast  enough,  Betty,  but 
I  have  something  grave  to  say.  Oliver  is 
still  in  the  city  —  he  goes  to  the  De  Lan- 
ceys'  to-night  —  I  was  to  warn  you." 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  197 

"  In  what  disguise  ?  "  asked  Betty  breath 
lessly. 

"  Indeed,  I  know  not,  except  that  he  will 
represent  Mynheer  ~Diedrich  Gansevoort, 
from  Albany;  oh,  Betty,  I  am  sore  afraid." 

"  Nay,  wherefore  ?  "  and  Betty's  eyes  spar 
kled  as  her  color  rose.  "  We  Wolcotts  are 
not  wont  to  fail,  and  I  am  now  too  accus 
tomed  to  Oliver's  hairbreadth  escapes  for 
fright." 

"  You  were  well  alarmed  at  the  servants' 
dance  ;  oh,  how  rash  he  is !  " 

"  We  spare  nothing  in  our  country's 
cause,"  said  Betty,  with  a  proud  little  toss 
of  her  head ;  "  but,  Kitty,  forgive  me  if  I 
appear  intrusive  —  I  am  puzzled  to  know 
how  and  where  you  and  Oliver  " 

"You  should  have  known  long  ago," 
interrupted  Kitty,  blushing  deeply,  "  but, 
somehow,  I  never  could  approach  near 
enough  to  your  heart  to  confess  that  Oliver 
and  I  are  trothplighted  though  my  mother's 
consent  is  lacking.  We  met  in  Albany  — 
again  at  West  Point,  and  oh,  Betty,  how  I 
have  longed  to  tell  you.  I  have  seen  you 
look  at  me  with  eyes  so  like  his  ;  with  such 
scornful  glance  when  I  laugh  and  jest  with 
those  hateful  redcoats,  such  kindly  smile 


198  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

when  I  showed  you  that  I  am  at  heart  a 
patriot.  Forgive  me,  dear,  and  let  us  do  all 
we  can  to  help  Oliver  to-night,  for  he  is 
determined  to  be  at  the  De  Lanceys,  as  by 
going  there  he  can  obtain  certain  important 
information  for  the  cause  of  freedom." 

Betty  threw  her  arms  around  Kitty ;  why 
did  she  feel  as  if  the  innocent  words  stabbed 
her?  Had  the  "hateful  redcoats"  ceased 
to  be  hateful  to  her  ? 

"  Trothplighted,"  she  whispered,  with  wide- 
open  eyes  of  delight ;  "  I  hoped  as  much  — 
how  happy  my  father  will  be  when  Oliver" — 

"  Nay,  nay,"  cried  blushing  Kitty,  "  you 
go  too  fast ;  think  of  madam,  my  mother, 
and  her  antipathy  to  the  '  rebels,'  as  she  calls 
them,  quite  forgetting  that  my  aunt  (where  I 
made  my  home  in  Albany  for  three  years)  is 
one,  as  well  as  her  naughty  daughter.  Good 
lack !  my  fortunes  were  told  long  ago  had 
I  but  bowed  to  her  wishes ;  and  at  the  mo 
ment,  Betty,  —  to  let  you  into  a  profound 
secret,  —  the  most  desirable  husband  for  me 
in  her  eyes  is  Captain  Yorke." 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  Betty  coldly,  sbut  Kitty 
was  too  engrossed  in  her  own  discourse  to 
notice. 

"  Not  that  he  has  such  an  idea,  mind  you ; 


AT    THE    VLY   MARKET  199 

he  loves  to  dance  and  jest  with  me,  as  a 
score  of  others  do.  But,  Betty,  your  confi 
dence  in  Oliver  is  well  sustained  so  far,  and 
it  lightens  my  heart.  Beside,  there  is  no 
one  here  who  would  be  apt  to  recognize  him 
except  you  and  me  ;  though  for  the  matter  of 
that  why  Clarissa  did  not  see  and  know  his 
shadow  at  the  servants'  dance  I  have  not 
yet  ceased  to  marvel." 

"  You  forget  that  she  had  no  knowledge 
of  his  presence  in  New  York,  and  Oliver 
has  changed  greatly  since  she  saw  him  full 
three  years  ago." 

"And  now  to  grandma,"  said  Kitty,  re 
leasing  the  latch  of  the  door,  which  she 
had  held  carefully  in  her  hand  since  entering 
the  room,  as  a  precaution  against  intruders ; 
"  and  fare  you  well,  Betty,  till  we  meet  at 
the  ball  to-night." 

All  through  that  New  Year  day  Betty's 
heart  throbbed  with  excitement,  as  a  steady 
stream  of  visitors  passed  in  and  out  of  the 
mansion,  where  Grandma  Effingham  and 
Clarissa  bade  welcome  to  old  friends  and 
young  ones,  to  stately  gentlemen  in  small 
clothes  and  powdered  queues,  with  a  fine 
selection  of  British  officers,  beginning  with 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  arrived  in  great 


200  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

state  and  descended  from  his  sleigh,  with  its 
coal-black  horses,  accompanied  by  his  aides, 
for  the  English  commander  liked  to  concil 
iate  the  Tories  of  New  York,  and,  as  he 
was  then  making  secret  preparations  to  ac 
company  an  expedition  to  South  Carolina, 
thought  best  to  appear  in  public  even  more 
than  usual. 

"  Mistress  Betty,"  said  Geoffrey  Yorke, 
under  cover  of  sipping  a  glass  of  port  wine 
which  she  had  offered  him,  "  I  drink  to  your 
very  good  health  ;  "  then  softly,  "  I  have  not 
seen  you  for  a  week  ;  have  you  been  quite 
well  since  the  Christmas  party  ?  " 

"  Is  it  so  long  ?  "  —  willfully ;  "  Clarissa 
said  you  called  one  day." 

"  Surely  —  to  ask  for  you,  and  you  never 
came  inside  the  room." 

"  Because  I  was  busy,  sir,"  replied  Betty. 
Then  relenting  as  a  swift  remembrance 
crossed  her  mind,  "  I  was  skating  at  the 
Collect,  where  I  went  with  Peter  late  in  the 
day." 

"  Will  you  dance  with  me  to-night  at  the 
ball  —  promise  me  all  the  dances  you  can 
possibly  spare  ?  "  and  Geoffrey's  voice  took 
its  most  tender  tone  as  he  fixed  his  eyes  on 
Betty's  charming  face. 


AT   THE    VLY  MARKET  201 

"  All  my  dances  ?  Nay,  two,  possibly 
three,  are  as  many  as  Clarissa  would  deem 
consistent  with  good  manners,"  returned  the 
maid,  unable  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  teas 
ing  him  ;  "  indeed,  I  am  bewildered  even 
now  remembering  sundry  engagements  al 
ready  made." 

"The  first  dance,  Betty,"  said  Yorke 
pleadingly,  as  he  saw  the  general  taking 
leave,  and  prepared  to  accompany  him. 
"  Surely  you  will  not  deny  me  that  grace  ?  " 

But  Betty  only  gave  him  the  tips  of  her 
fingers  in  reply  as  she  swept  a  graceful 
courtesy.  Was  it  the  slight  pressure  of  his 
hand  which  accompanied  the  farewell  that 
made  Geoffrey  spring  gayly  into  the  sleigh 
and  drive  off  with  a  half-boyish,  half-trium 
phant  smile? 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  DE  LANCEY  BALL 

THE  De  Lancey  mansion,  then  one  of  the 
most  famous  houses  in  New  York,  was  on 
the  Bloomingdale  Road,  and  the  drive  out 
Bowery  Lane  ran  through  meadow  -  land 
and  green  trees  in  summer,  but  over  hard- 
packed  snow  and  ice  in  winter,  for  it  was 
part  of  the  highroad  to  Albany.  So  both 
Grandma  Effingham  and  Clarissa  ordered 
the  fur  muffs  and  hot-water  bottles  for  the 
feet  placed  carefully  in  the  sleigh,  which 
Pompey  brought  to  the  door  just  as  the 
night  watch  went  down  the  street,  crying 
in  his  slow,  bell-like  tones,  "  Eight  o'clock, 
and  all 's  w-e-11 !  "  Betty,  standing  muffled 
in  long  cloak  and  fur  hood,  on  the  steps 
of  the  house,  said  to  herself,  with  a  thrill 
of  excitement,  "  All  's  well ;  please  God  I 
may  say  as  much  when  midnight  sounds  to 
night." 

The  sleigh  was  a  large,  roomy  one,  with 
back  and  front  seats,  and  its  big  hood  was 


THE   DE   LANCET  BALL  203 

drawn  up  and  extended  like  a  roof  over  the 
top,  covering  the  heads  of  its  occupants, 
but  open  at  the  sides.  Clarissa  was  seated 
first,  and  well  wrapped  in  the  bearskin 
robes  which  adorned  the  sleigh,  and  then 
Betty  tripped  lightly  down  to  have  her  little 
feet  bestowed  in  a  capacious  foot-muff,  as 
she  carefully  tucked  her  new  gown  around 
her  and  sat  beside  Clarissa.  Gulian,  in 
full  evening  dress,  with  small  clothes,  plum- 
colored  satin  coat  and  cocked  hat,  took  pos 
session  of  the  front  seat.  Pompey  cracked 
his  whip,  and  the  spirited  horses  were  off 
with  a  plunge  and  bound,  as  Peter,  the  irre 
pressible,  shouted  from  the  doorway,  where 
with  grandma  he  had  been  an  interested 
spectator  of  proceedings,  "  A  Happy  New 
Year  to  us  all,  and  mind,  Betty,  you  only 
take  the  handsomest  gallants  for  partners." 
De  Lancey  Place  had  been  the  scene  of 
many  festivities,  and  was  famed  far  and 
wide  for  its  hospitality,  but  (it  was  whis 
pered)  this  New  Year  ball  was  to  excel  all 
others.  The  mansion  stood  in  the  centre 
of  beautiful  meadow -land,  with  a  back 
ground  of  dark  pines,  and  these  showed 
forth  finely  against  the  snow  which  covered 
the  lawns  and  feathered  the  branches  of  the 


204  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

tall  oak-trees  in  front  of  the  door.  Lan 
terns  gleamed  here  and  there,  up  the  drive 
and  across  the  wide  piazza ;  at  the  door 
were  the  colored  servants,  in  livery  imported 
direct  from  England,  and  from  within  came 
sounds  of  music.  As  Pompey  swept  his 
horses  up  to  the  step  with  an  extra  flourish 
of  his  whip,  a  group  of  British  officers, 
who  had  just  alighted  from  another  sleigh, 
hastened  to  meet  Clarissa  and  assist  her 
descent. 

"  On  my  word,  Clarissa,"  said  Gulian, 
a  few  minutes  later,  as  he  offered  her  his 
hand  to  conduct  her  to  the  ballroom,  "  I 
never  saw  Betty  look  so  lovely.  Your  pink 
brocade  becomes  her  mightily,  and  her  slen 
der  shape  shows  forth  charmingly.  Where 
did  you  procure  those  knots  of  rose-colored 
ribbon  which  adorn  the  waist  ?  I  do  not 
remember  them." 

"  That  is  my  secret  —  and  Betty's  ;  she 
vowed  the  gown  would  not  be  complete 
without  them,  so  I  indulged  the  child,  and 
I  find  her  taste  in  dress  perfect.  Captain 
Sir  John  Faulkner  seems  greatly  taken  with 
her,  does  he  not  ?  " 

"  Aye,  but  let  us  hasten  to  find  our 
hostess.  They  will  be  forming  for  the  min- 


THE    DE   LANCE Y  BALL  205 

uet  directly,  and  you  must  dance  it  with 
me,  sweet  wife,  —  unless  you  prefer  another 
partner." 

Clarissa's  reponse  to  this  lover-like  speech 
was  evidently  satisfactory,  for  presently 
Betty  beheld  her  sister  and  Gulian  take 
places  at  the  head  of  the  room,  next  Madam 
De  Lancey,  who  opened  her  ball  with  Sir 
Henry  Clinton.  Betty,  since  her  arrival 
in  New  York,  had  been  trained  and  tutored 
for  the  minuet  by  both  Clarissa  and  Kitty, 
and  here  was  Captain  Sir  John  Faulkner, 
an  elderly  but  gallant  beau,  supplicating 
for  the  honor  of  her  hand  in  the  opening 
dance. 

"  I  am  loth  to  decline,"  began  Betty,  a 
little  overpowered  by  the  compliment,  "  but 
I  have  already  promised  this  dance." 

"  To  me,"  said  Geoffrey  Yorke,  at  her 
side,  and  looking  up,  Betty,  for  the  first 
time,  saw  her  lover  in  all  the  bravery  of 
full  uniform,  powdered  hair,  and  costly 
laces.  If  he  had  been  strikingly  handsome 
in  the  old  homespun  clothes  in  which  he 
first  appeared  before  her  on  the  shores 
of  Great  Pond,  he  was  ten  times  more  so 
now.  Betty  forgot  that  his  coat  was  scar 
let,  that  he  represented  an  odious  king  and 


206  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

all  she  had  been  taught  to  despise ;  she  only 
saw  the  gallant  manly  form  and  loving  eyes 
which  met  hers  so  frankly,  and  the  hand 
she  gave  him  trembled  as  he  led  her  out 
upon  the  floor.  For  Betty  did  not  know 
—  though  the  realization  came  to  her  later, 
with  bitter  tears  —  that  all  unconsciously 
she  had  entered  that  fabled  kingdom,  the 
knowledge  of  which  makes  life  a  mystery, 
death  a  glory ! 

The  music  swelled  on  in  slow  and  stately 
measure  ;  jewels  flashed  in  the  blaze  of  wax 
candles,  silken  brocades  rustled  a  soft  ac 
companiment  to  the  steps  and  courtesies 
of  their  fair  wearers,  as  Betty  dreamed  her 
dream  of  happiness,  only  half  aware  that 
she  was  dreaming.  And  when,  at  the  close 
of  the  minuet,  Geoffrey  led  her  to  Clarissa, 
there  was  no  lack  of  gallants  nor  partners, 
and  Peter  would  have  chuckled  with  delight 
could  he  have  seen  that  no  one  was  so 
eagerly  sought  for  as  the  lovely,  roguish 
maid,  who  wore  the  knots  ,of  rose-colored 
ribbon. 

It  was  time  for  supper,  and  instruments 
were  being  tuned  into  order  for  a  grand 
march,  to  be  led  by  Madam  De  Lancey, 
when  Betty,  standing  near  a  large  Indian 


THE    MINUET 


THE   DE   LANCE  Y  BALL  207 

screen,  talking  with  Mr.  Van  Brugh,  who 
was  a  dear  friend  of  her  father's,  became 
aware  of  subdued  voices  at  her  elbow,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  screen. 

"  I  tell  you  I  am  right,"  said  one  of  these 
testily  ;  "  I  would  stake  my  sword  that  he  is 
not  what  he  seems.  I  saw  him  exchange 
a  bit  of  paper  with  yonder  manikin  fiddler, 
who  has  been  under  suspicion  for  some 
weeks,  and  cleverly  they  did  it,  too.  It  's 
not  the  first  time,  I  '11  warrant,  that  Myn 
heer  von  Gam —  ' 

"  No,  no,  not  Von  at  all ;  you  are  safe  to 
be  mistaken,  Colonel  Tarleton  ;  the  gentle 
man  is  one  Diedrich  Gansevoort  from  the 
Albany  beverwyck.  Madam  De  Laucey 
herself  made  us  acquainted  ;  he  is  no  spy." 

Betty's  heart  sank.  She  murmured  some 
thing  in  reply  as  Mr.  Van  Brugh  paused. 
This  was  the  famous  and  cruel  Colonel 
Tarleton.  If  he  had  traced  Oliver,  then 
all  was  lost.  She  strained  her  ears  for 
further  information,  smiling  up  at  Mr.  Van 
Brugh  as  she  waved  her  fan  gently  to  and 
fro. 

"  If  you  are  so  sure  of  it,  why  did  he,  an 
apparent  stranger,  have  aught  to  commu 
nicate  to  that  fiddler  yonder?  Go  quietly 


208 

through  the  crowd  and  watch  the  gentleman 
as  he  appears  at  supper ;  I  '11  have  a  word 
with  Yorke  on  the  subject,"  and  they  moved 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  ballroom. 

"  Will  he,  indeed?  "  thought  Betty,  as  she 
saw  Geoffrey  coming  toward  her  from  the 
hall ;  "  not  while  I  can  hold  him  at  my  side," 
and  with  somewhat  paler  face,  but  with 
calm  demeanor  she  moved  away,  obedient 
to  Geoffrey's  request  that  she  should  go  to 
supper. 

Kitty  Cruger's  evening,  unlike  Betty's, 
had  been  full  of  dangerous  excitement. 
Arriving  at  the  ball  with  her  mother,  she 
had  been  dancing  with  her  usual  spirit, 
keeping,  however,  anxious  watch  for  Oliver. 
But  she  perceived  no  one  whom  she  could 
possibly  imagine  was  he,  even  in  disguise, 
and  therefore  it  was  with  almost  a  shock 
of  dismay  that  she  found  herself  stopped, 
as  she  was  passing  the  supper-room  door, 
by  her  hostess,  who  "  craved  the  favor  of 
presenting  a  gentleman  just  arrived  from 
Albany,  who  knew  her  family  there."  Kitty 
dropped  her  most  formal  courtesy  and  raised 
her  eyes  to  the  face  of  the  stranger.  Verily, 
Oliver  possessed  positive  genius  for  dis 
guises,  and  troubled  as  she  was  Kitty  could 


THE   DE   LANCE  Y  BALL  209 

not  restrain  a  smile  as  she  recognized  in  the 
rubicund  countenance  and  somewhat  portly 
form  of  the  gentleman  bowing  before  her 
an  admirable  caricature  of  no  less  a  person 
than  her  respected  uncle,  Cornelius  Lan 
sing,  an  antiquated  Albany  beau. 

Yorke,  with  Betty,  was  just  inside  the 
door  as  the  pair  entered,  and  as  Kitty  per 
ceived  them  she  paused  for  a  moment  to 
say  good-evening. 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  I  was  looking 
for  you.  Permit  me  to  present  Mynheer 
Gansevoort,  of  Albany.  Mistress  Betty 
Wolcott  and  Captain  Yorke.  As  for  you, 
sir,"  —  to  Yorke,  with  a  playful  tap  of  her 
fan  to  engage  his  attention,  —  "  you  have 
not  yet  claimed  my  hand  for  a  dance.  Pray, 
what  excuse  can  you  devise  for  such  neg 
lect?" 

Betty  seized  her  opportunity.  She  must 
warn  Oliver  at  all  hazards.  "  Have  you 
lately  arrived  ?  "  she  said,  fixing  her  eyes 
on  him ;  then,  in  so  low  a  whisper  that  it 
barely  reached  him  by  motion  of  her  lips, 
"  You  are  watched  ;  be  careful !  " 

"  I  am  somewhat  deaf,"  returned  Oliver, 
with  great  readiness,  bending  his  ear  toward 
her.  "By  whom?"  —with  equal  caution. 


210  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  Colonel  Tarleton.  Escape  as  speedily 
as  you  can." 

"  Did  you  speak  ? "  said  Geoffrey,  turn 
ing  suddenly,  to  Betty's  dismay,  and  casting 
a  penetrating  glance  at  Oliver,  which  he 
returned  with  the  utmost  calmness. 

"  This  gentleman  is  somewhat  deaf,  I 
find,"  answered  Betty.  "  It  is  a  sad  afflic 
tion,  sir ;  has  it  troubled  you  long  ?  " 

"  Some  years.  May  I  offer  Captain  Yorke 
a  pinch  of  snuff  ?  "  and  the  pretended  Myn 
heer  Gansevoort  produced  a  gold  snuff-box 
from  his  waistcoat  pocket,  which  he  courte 
ously  extended  to  the  English  officer. 

"  You  must  excuse  me  ;  I  have  not  yet 
acquired  the  habit,"  replied  Geoffrey.  "  A 
glass  of  wine  with  you,  sir,  instead,  if  you 
will  do  me  the  honor." 

"  With  great  pleasure."  And  as  they 
moved  a  step  onward,  Kitty  passed  first 
with  Yorke,  thereby  giving  Betty  time  to 
whisper  to  Oliver  what  she  had  overheard 
behind  the  screen. 

"  Your  very  good  health,  sir,"  said  Geof 
frey,  as  he  took  the  glasses  of  port  wine 
from  a  servant  standing  near  the  lavishly 
filled  table ;  "  and  if  you  will  not  consider 
me  intrusive,  do  you  purpose  stopping  in 
New  York  ?  " 


THE    DE   LANCET  BALL  211 

"  That  is  as  may  be,"  replied  the  other. 
"  I  am  not,  however,  returning  to  Albany 
immediately.  Will  you  name  a  toast  ?  " 

"  Aye,"  said  Yorke  quickly,  raising  his 
glass,  with  a  searching  look  into  Oliver's 
eyes,  —  "  To  your  safe  return  to  the  Albany 
beverwyck ;  the  climate  of  New  York  is 
somewhat  unhealthy  at  present." 

"  Yorke,"  said  a  young  officer,  coming 
hastily  up  behind  the  group,  "  Colonel 
Tarletoii  desires  speech  with  you  for  a  mo 
ment  ;  you  will  find  him  and  Sir  Henry 
by  the  screen  in  the  ballroom." 

"  You  heard  ?  "  whispered  Betty,  as  Geof 
frey  left  them  ;  "  Captain  Yorke  has  recog 
nized  you  —  fly,  fly,  at  once !  " 

"  Is  there  another  exit  from  this  room, 
Kitty  ?  "  asked  Oliver,  finishing  his  glass  of 
wine  as  he  spoke,  and  handing  the  empty 
glass  to  the  waiting  servant. 

"  Only  the  window  behind  us,"  gasped 
Kitty ;  "  quick  !  they  are  all  too  busy  eating 
and  drinking  to  notice  if  you  slip  through 
the  curtains,  and  the  balcony  is  but  a  few 
feet  from  the  ground." 

"  Then  I  must  run  for  it.  Farewell," 
murmured  Oliver,  as  the  heavy  damask 
curtains  dropped  back  over  his  vanishing 


212  AN    UNWILLING   MAW 

figure.  The  two  girls  gazed  into  each 
other's  faces  with  dilated  eyes  and  quiv 
ering  lips.  Would  the  alarm  be  speedily 
given,  and  would  they  see  him  captured  and 
carried  to  certain  death  ?  For  one  breath 
less  moment  they  listened,  and  then  Kitty 
turned  sick  and  faint ;  her  eyes  closed  as 
Betty  flung  an  arm  around  her  waist. 

"  Some  wine  at  once,"  she  said  aloud, 
and  two  gentlemen  sprang  forward  to  assist 
her  to  place  Kitty  in  a  chair.  "  She  is 
affected  by  the  heat  of  the  room ;  it  will 
pass  in  a  moment,"  and  she  gave  the  reviv 
ing  girl  a  good  hard  pinch,  which  made  her 
start  in  her  chair.  "  Oh,  Gulian,  I  am  glad 
you  are  here.  Had  you  not  better  seek 
Madam  Cruger  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Kitty,  struggling  to  rise, 
and  most  heartily  ashamed  of  herself  for 
her  lack  of  self-control.  "  My  mother  is  not 
strong  and  must  not  be  alarmed.  I  am 
better;  will  you  come  into  the  hall  with 
me,  Betty  ?  It  is  cooler  there." 

"  Of  course,  and  you  can  rest  awhile  ; 
Gulian  will  bring  us  supper." 

But  supper  and  everything  connected 
with  it  was  far  from  Betty's  thoughts ;  all 
she  wished  was  a  few  words  with  Kitty 


THE   DE  LANCE  Y  BALL  213 

alone,  which  she  knew  Gulian's  absence 
would  give  her. 

"  Betty,"  said  Kitty  the  instant  he  left 
them,  "  you  do  not  know  half  the  danger. 
If  he  has  not  the  means  of  escape  close  at 
hand  —  if  the  British  officers  arrest  the 
fiddler  —  Oliver  is  totally  lost.  Can  you 
see  through  yonder  door  if  the  man  be  there 
still  with  the  others?"  Betty  rose  from 
her  chair  and  stepped  inside  the  ballroom, 
now  nearly  deserted,  for  the  guests  were 
all  at  supper.  She  glanced  eagerly  toward 
the  upper  end  of  the  room  ;  no,  the  mani 
kin  fiddler  had  disappeared.  Then  an  idea 
darted  into  her  quick  brain  ;  inaction  under 
the  circumstances  was  maddening ;  back  she 
darted  to  Kitty's  side. 

"Kitty,  come  with  me  instantly.  We 
will  muffle  ourselves  in  our  cloaks  and  hoods 
and  steal  forth  for  a  moment.  I  '11  find 
Pompey  and  our  sleigh,  and  if  worst  comes, 
let  Oliver  fly  in  that  fashion ;  Gulian's 
horses  are  fleet  enough  to  distance  pursu 
ers." 

Without  another  word  both  girls  flew 
into  the  room  near  the  front  door  where 
they  had  left  their  wraps.  Not  a  soul  was 
there ;  the  servants  had  gone  elsewhere, 


214  ^LV    UNWILLING    MAID 

knowing  that  their  services  would  not  be 
required  until  the  early  morning  hours,  when 
the  ball  broke  up.  It  took  but  a  moment 
to  pounce  on  their  cloaks,  and  Betty  also 
seized  a  long  dark  wrap,  which  lay  conven 
iently  at  her  hand,  thinking  it  might  be  use 
ful.  Out  into  the  hall  they  dashed  swiftly 
and  silently,  past  the  lanterns  on  the  broad 
piazza  ;  and  as  luck  had  it,  Pompey  himself, 
who  had  come  up  to  witness  the  festivities 
from  the  outside,  popped  up  at  the  steps. 

"  What  you  'se  doin'  hyar,  little  missy  ?  " 
he  began  wonderingly,  but  Betty  cut  him 
short. 

"  Fetch  the  sleigh  at  once,  Pompey.  Mis 
tress  Kitty  is  ill,  and  I  want  to  take  her 
home." 

Pompey,  somewhat  alarmed  at  the  tone 
and  catching  sight  of  Betty's  white  face 
and  burning  eyes,  vanished  on  the  instant. 
The  girls  drew  into  the  shadow  as  far  as 
they  were  able,  and  holding  their  breath 
peered  into  the  darkness. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  whispered  Kitty,  as  a 
swift  footstep  crossed  the  piazza.  "  Oh,  't  is 
Yorke !  Have  a  care,  Betty,  or  we  are 
discovered,"  and  she  endeavored  to  drag 
her  farther  back  against  the  wall.  As  she 


THE   DE   LANCE  Y   BALL  215 

did  so,  the  crouching  figure  of  a  man  rose 
up  against  the  trunk  of  one  of  the  oak-trees 
on  the  lawn  ;  it  was  Oliver.  His  padded 
coat  cast  off,  they  could  dimly  distinguish  his 
tall  slender  form.  Some  singular  instinct 
for  which  he  could  never  account  made 
Yorke  pause  as  he  set  his  foot  on  the 
threshold  of  the  front  door ;  he  wheeled 
just  in  time  to  see  Betty's  face,  as  one  pale 
ray  from  a  distant  lantern  fell  across  it. 

"  Betty,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  he 
cried,  darting  to  her  side.  At  that  instant 
a  sound  of  voices  broke  on  the  stillness  of 
the  night ;  it  came  from  behind  the  mansion 
in  the  direction  of  the  pine  woods. 

"Kitty  is  ill,"  faltered  Betty.  "I  am 
taking  her  home  —  do  not,  I  pray  you,  de 
tain  me  —  oh,  there  is  Pompey  "  —  as  the 
welcome  sound  of  sleigh-bells  rang  out  on 
the  frosty  air.  "  Geoffrey,  Geoffrey,  let  me 
go!" 

Her  tone  of  agonized  supplication  went  to 
Geoffrey's  heart.  Kitty  flew  down  the  steps 
into  the  sleigh,  unassisted,  and  Betty  fol 
lowed,  her  hand  in  Yorke's.  There  arose 
a  hoarse  shout  "The  spy,  the  spy  —  he 
has  escaped  by  the  road  !  "  and  as  Betty 
set  her  foot  on  the  runner,  a  dark  figure 


216  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

vaulted  over  Kitty  and  buried  itself  in  the 
robes  at  the  bottom  of  the  sleigh. 

"  At  last,  sweetheart,  I  pay  my  debt," 
whispered  Yorke  in  her  ear,  as  he  thrust 
Betty  safely  into  the  seat.  "  Pompey,  drive 
for  your  life  !  "  The  startled  negro  needed 
no  second  bidding,  down  came  the  whip-lash 
on  the  horses'  backs,  and  with  a  furious 
plunge,  a  mad  rear,  they  were  off,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  ahead  before  their  pursuers  turned 
the  corner  of  the  mansion. 

Oh,  that  wild  race  through  the  snow ! 
Even  in  after  years,  when  long  days  of  happi 
ness  had  crowded  out  much  of  those  stirring 
times  from  Betty's  mind,  a  shudder  would 
creep  over  her,  and  closing  her  eyes  she 
could  see  again  the  tall  gaunt  trees,  the 
frozen  road,  the  snow  that  glittered  so  still 
and  cold  in  the  cruel  starlight,  and  hear 
the  distant  shouts  that  she  feared  told  of 
pursuit.  On  they  flew,  Oliver  giving  oc 
casional  directions  to  the  trembling  and 
excited  Pompey.  Now  that  he  knew  the 
danger,  the  faithful  negro  would  have  died 
sooner  than  fail  to  carry  the  fugitive  into 
comparative  safety.  On,  through  the  Lis- 
penard  meadows,  on,  —  until  they  struck 
Broadway ;  no  pursuers  within  sight,  and 


THE    DE   LANCE  Y   BALI.  217 

at  Crown  Street  Oliver  bade  him  turn  in 
the  direction  of  the  river,  and  drive,  down 
until  he  reached  the  slip  which  lay  at 
the  foot  of  the  street.  All  was  still.  Save 
an  occasional  belated  pedestrian,  nothing 
seemed  stirring,  and  as  they  neared  the 
dingy  old  tavern  at  the  Sign  of  the  Sturdy 
Beggar,  Pompey  pulled  up  his  smoking, 
panting  horses. 

"  Don't  want  to  get  too  near  dose  lights," 
he  said,  pointing  to  the  swinging  lantern 
which  adorned  the  hostelry  ;  "  darse  n't  let 
nobody  see  my  young  mistress  ;  Massa  Gu- 
lian  would  flog  Pompey  for  shuah  if  dis  tale 
gets  tole." 

"  You  're  right,  Pompey,"  answered  Oli 
ver,  springing  up  and  flinging  the  long 
dark  cloak  with  which  Betty  had  provided 
herself  around  his  shoulders ;  "  take  the 
ladies  home  slowly.  Kitty,  my  beloved, 
farewell  —  farewell,  Betty,  brave  little  soul 
that  you  are  ;  I  '11  tell  my  father  how  your 
quick  wits  came  to  my  relief.  Here  I  cross 
the  river  on  the  ice,  and,  God  willing,  reach 
the  commander-in-chief  with  the  tidings  he 
desires  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

A  sob  from  Kitty,  a  low  "  God  guard 
you !  "  from  Betty,  and  Oliver  vanished  as 


218  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

Pompey  turned  his  horses  and  proceeded 
leisurely  back  to  Broadway.  The  girls  were 
literally  too  spent  with  emotion  to  do  more 
than  sink  down  breathless  among  the  fur 
robes,  and  not  one  word  did  they  exchange 
as  they  drove  through  Wall  Street  and 
finally  drew  up  at  the  Verplancks'  door. 
On  the  steps  stood  Gulian,  a  tall  and  silent 
figure,  awaiting  the  truants. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  he  began 
sternly,  as  he  lifted  Kitty  out.  "  Did  the 
hue  and  cry  for  that  wretched,  miserable 
Whig  spy  frighten  the  horses  ?  Clarissa 
is  nearly  distracted  "  — 

"  I  will  explain  all  to  your  satisfaction," 
interrupted  Betty.  "  Meantime,  listen,  and 
be  thankful ;  "  and  as  she  held  up  a  warning 
hand,  they  heard  through  the  stillness  of 
the  night  the  watchman's  distant  cry  float 
down  the  frosty  air  :  — 

"  Half  past  three  o'clock  —  and  all  's  — 
well!" 


CHAPTER  XV 

LOVE    OR   LOYALTY 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you,  Cla 
rissa's  sister,  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
escape  of  a  Whig  spy  ?  " 

"  Even  so,"  said  Betty  calmly,  though 
her  face  was  pale  and  her  brilliant  eyes  burn 
ing  with  excitement. 

"  Damnation  !  "  retorted  Gulian  angrily. 
"  Even  your  mistaken  ideas  of  patriotism 
could  hardly  carry  a  well-behaved  maiden  so 
far." 

"  Gulian  !  how  dare  you !  " 

"  What  am  I  to  conclude?"  with  a  scorn 
ful  wave  of  his  hand ;  "  your  story  is  some 
what  disjointed.  Kitty  is  taken  ill ;  you 
suddenly  decide  to  carry  her  off  in  my 
sleigh  without  farewell  of  any  kind  to  your 
hostess,  without  paying  your  sister  or  me  the 
respect  to  ask  permission.  Then  you  state 
that  a  man  —  confound  the  beggar's  impu 
dence  !  —  sprang  into  the  sleigh,  and  you 
were  foolish  enough  to  fetch  him  out  of  the 


220  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

danger  of  pursuit,  all  because  of  loyalty  to 
the  cause  of  so-called  freedom.  I  cannot  un 
derstand  —  Stay  !  Captain  Yorke  was  on 
the  steps  as  I  came  out,  hearing  the  shouts  ; 
did  he  witness  this  extraordinary  occur 
rence  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  the  fugitive  had  concealed 
himself  in  the  bottom  of  the  sleigh  before  I 
entered  it,"  said  Betty,  terror  seizing  her 
lest  a  chance  word  should  implicate  Geoffrey 
in  the  matter.  "  Would  you  have  me  turn  a 
helpless  man  loose  among  your  Hessians  ?  I 
have  too  vivid  recollection  of  Nathan  Hale's 
fate  to  contribute  another  victim  to  English 
mercy." 

The  taunt  stung  Verplanck,  for,  like 
many  of  the  more  liberal  Tories,  he  had 
deeply  deplored  the  tragic  ending  of  the 
gallant  Hale,  although  forced  to  regard  it  as 
one  of  the  stern  necessities  of  war.  He  bit 
his  lip  as  he  answered  :  — 

"  Thank  you,  Betty ;  I  am  glad  Clarissa 
does  not  regard  me  as  quite  so  bloodthirsty 
as  you  evidently  deem  me."  Then,  eying 
her  keenly,  as  if  struck  by  a  sudden  thought, 
"  Did  you  know  the  man,  or  was  it  all  pure 
patriotism?  " 

"  Yes,"  returned  Betty,  filled  with  indig- 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  221 

nation  at  the  sneer,  and  facing  him  with  all 
her  native  courage  ;  "  yes,  I  know  him  well." 

"  Know  him  ? "  echoed  the  bewildered 
Gulian,  "  are  you  mad  or  am  I  dreaming?  " 

"  Neither,  I  trust.  The  Whig  spy,  as  you 
are  pleased  to  call  him,  was  my  brother, 
Oliver  Wolcott.  Thank  God  that  he  has 
made  good  his  escape,  and  congratulate  your 
self,  Gulian,  that  you  aided,  even  remotely, 
iii  it." 

"  Betty,  Betty,  if  this  be  true,  I  trust 
Clarissa  does  not  know." 

"  Never  fear,"  with  a  choking  sob  ;  "  I 
shall  not  tell  her.  She  suffers  enough,  poor 
soul,  with  her  husband  upon  one  side  and 
her  people  upon  the  other  of  this  most  cruel 
war." 

"  Betty,  go  to  your  chamber,"  said  Gulian 
sternly.  "  I  will  myself  escort  Kitty  to  her 
own  door,  and  impress  upon  her  the  neces 
sity  of  keeping  the  matter  a  close  secret. 
My  mortification  would  be  great  were  it 
known.  Why,  it  might  even  endanger  my 
friendship  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton." 

Betty  left  the  room,  but  her  lip  curled 
as  she  said  to  herself,  "  A  Tory  to  the  tips 
of  his  fingers  ;  God  forbid  that  I  should 
ever  feel  what  Clarissa  must." 


222  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

Very  little  sleep  visited  Betty  that  night 
(or  what  remained  of  it)  as  she  lay  with 
open  eyes  that  strained  into  the  growing 
dawn,  picturing  to  herself  Oliver's  flight 
across  the  North  River,  and  hoping  fervently 
that  she  had  thrown  the  pursuit  skillfully 
off  his  track.  When  at  last  she  fell  into  a 
doze  it  was  nearly  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  Miranda,  who  softly  entered  the 
room,  bringing  fresh  water,  halted  at  the 
pillow,  loth  to  waken  her. 

"  Mistress  Betty,"  she  whispered.  No 
reply,  but  the  sleeper  turned  uneasily,  and 
then  opened  her  eyes.  "  I  certainly  do  hate 
to  call  you,  but  jes'  look  here  ;  what  you  say 
for  dat,  little  missy  ?  "  and  Miranda  held  up 
a  letter.  "  Dat  was  left  wif  me  at  day 
break  by  de  young  boy  who  came  wif  Sambo 
—  missy  knows  who  I  mean,"-  -  rolling  her 
eyes  fearfully  around  the  room,  —  "  and  he 
said  tell  you  that  Jim  Bates,  of  Breucklen 
Heights,  had  tole  him  to  fetch  it  to  you." 

Betty  seized  the  package  ;  it  consisted  of 
a  half-sheet  of  paper  which  inclosed  a  let 
ter,  doubled  over  and  sealed  with  wax  in  the 
fashion  of  the  day. 

"  I  am  safely  across  the  river,"  wrote 
Oliver  on  the  outer  sheet,  "  and  send  this 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  223 

to  ease  your  mind  and  Kitty's.  Moppet's 
letter  came  to  me  inside  one  from  my  father 
by  private  hand  a  few  days  since,  on  chance 
of  iny  being  able  to  give  it  you.  My  ser 
vice  in  the  city  is  over,  my  object  attained  ; 
hereafter  I  shall  be  on  duty  with  our  troops. 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again." 

Betty  broke  the  seal  of  her  letter  and 
between  sobs  and  laughter  deciphered  the 
queer  pot-hooks  and  printed  letters  with 
which  Miss  Moppet  had  covered  the  pages. 
Dear  little  Moppet ;  Betty  could  almost  see 
the  frowns  and  puckered  brow  with  which 
the  child  had  penned  the  words. 

"  My  Betty  dear,"  the  letter  ran,  "  we 
miss  you  sorely,  especially  the  Mare  and  me. 
She  whinnies  when  I  seek  the  Stable,  and  I 
was  going  to  say  I  cry  too,  but  never  mind." 
(This  was  partly  erased,  but  Betty  made  it 
out.)  "  It  is  so  cold  the  Chickens  are  kept 
in  the  kitchen  at  night  lest  they  freeze.  We 
hope  it  may  thaw  soon,  as  we  Desire  to  get 
the  maple  vsyrup  from  the  trees.  Aunt 
Euphemia  is  well.  Miss  Bidwell  is  still 
knitting  Socks  for  our  poor  soldiers,  and  I 
made  Half  of  one,  but  the  Devil  tempted 
me  with  Bad  temper  and  I  threw  it  on  the 


224  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Fire,  for  which  I  was  well  Punished.  Pa 
mela  cries  much;  I  do  not  see  why  she  is  so 
Silly.  Sally  Tracy  is  the  only  merry  one, 
now  you  are  away ;  she  spends  too  much 
time,  to  my  thinking,  reading  and  walking 
with  a  young  Gentleman  who  comes  from 
Branford.  I  have  not  yet  learned  how  to 
spell  his  Name,  but  you  may  Guess  who  I 
mean.  When  are  you  coming  home,  Betty? 
I  want  so  to  see  your  dear  face.  My  Re 
spects  to  Gulian  and  Clarissa,  and  Obedi 
ence  to  Grandma  —  I  do  not  Recollect  her 
whole  Name.  My  Sampler  is  more  perfectly 
Evil  than  ever,  but  I  have  completed  the 
Alphabet  and  I  danced  on  it,  which  Miss 
Bidwell  said  was  Outrageous  naughty,  but 
my  temper  Felt  calmed  afterward.  It  has 
taken  four  Days  to  write  this,  farewell,  from 
your  lonesome  little  sister, 

"  FAITH  WOLCOTT. 

"  Nota  Bene.  I  send  my  Love  to  You 
know  Who." 

There  were  others  of  the  Verplanck  house 
hold  who  slept  late  that  morning.  Gulian's 
usually  calm  and  somewhat  phlegmatic  tem 
per  had  been  moved  to  its  depths  by  the 
startling  and  most  unexpected  revelation  of 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  225 

Oliver  Wolcott's  identity  with  the  spy, 
whose  escape  Betty  had  aided  and  in  which 
he  was  also  indirectly  implicated  by  the  use 
of  his  horses  and  servant.  Gulian's  strict 
sense  of  justice  told  him  that  Betty  was 
right  in  seizing  the  means  at  hand  to  rescue 
her  brother,  but  that  did  not  lessen  his  irri 
tation  at  being  used  for  anything  which 
appertained  to  the  Whig  cause,  for  Gulian. 
Verplanck  was  a  Tory  to  the  backbone. 
Educated  in  England,  brought  up  to  consider 
that  the  divine  right  of  kings  was  a  sacred 
principle,  he  carried  his  devotion  to  the 
Tories  to  such  an  extent  that  had  he  fore 
seen  the  conflict  between  King  and  Colonies 
it  is  safe  to  say  he  would  never  have  wedded 
Clarissa  Wolcott.  His  love  for  his  wife  was 
too  great  to  permit  him  to  regret  his  mar 
riage,  and  he  was  too  thorough  a  gentleman 
to  annoy  her  by  alluding  to  their  political 
difference  of  opinion,  except  occasionally, 
when  his  temper  got  the  better  of  him, 
which,  to  do  him  justice,  was  seldom.  But 
Clarissa's  very  love  for  him  rendered  her 
too  clear-sighted  not  to  perceive  the  state  of 
his  mind,  and  the  unspoken  agitation  which 
she  suffered  on  this  score  had  been  partly 
the  cause  of  her  homesickness  and  longing 


226  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

for  her  sister's  companionship.  He  had 
been  both  kind  and  considerate  in  sending 
for  Betty  ;  his  conscience  approved  the  ac 
tion  ;  and  now  to  have  this  escapade  as  the 
outcome  was,  to  a  man  of  his  somewhat 
stilted  and  over-ceremonious  ideas,  a  blow  of 
the  most  annoying  description. 

When  he  sallied  forth  from  his  house 
some  two  hours  later  than  his  wont,  on  his 
way  to  the  wharf,  where  his  business  was 
located,  he  congratulated  himself  that  he 
had  so  far  escaped  questioning  from  his  wife 
on  the  occurrences  of  the  night  before. 
When  Betty  left  him,  he  had  taken  Kitty 
home  in  the  sleigh,  and  refrained  from  lec 
turing  her  except  so  far  as  insisting  upon 
her  not  mentioning  the  matter  of  Oliver's 
escape  to  her  mother.  Exhausted  as  she 
was,  mirth-loving  Kitty  was  moved  to  a 
smile  as  she  listened  to  Gulian's  labored 
sentences,  in  which  he  endeavored  to  con 
vince  his  listener  and  himself  that  what  he 
considered  almost  a  crime  against  the  King's 
majesty  —  permitting  the  escape  of  a  rebel 
spy  —  was,  so  far  as  Betty  was  concerned,  a 
meritorious  act.  So  Kitty  promised,  with 
the  utmost  sincerity,  that  not  one  syllable 
would  she  breathe  of  the  matter  to  her 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  227 

mother,  or,  in  fact,  to  any  human  being,  and 
hugged  herself  mentally  as  she  thought  of 
Gulian's  horror  if  he  only  knew  what  a  per 
sonal  interest  she  had  in  that  night's  mad 
race  for  freedom.  Clarissa,  sweet  soul,  had 
lain  down  quietly,  when  told  that  their 
horses  had  nearly  run  away,  being  badly 
frightened  by  the  hue  and  cry  of  an  escap 
ing  rebel ;  and  uttering  heartfelt  thanksgiv 
ings  that  Pompey  had  brought  the  girls 
home  in  safety,  she  went  fast  asleep  and 
remained  so  long  after  Gulian  had  risen, 
breakfasted,  and  gone  down  Maiden  Lane. 

Business  was  somewhat  dull  that  morn 
ing,  and  Gulian  was  conscious  that  each 
time  his  office  door  opened  he  feared  some 
one  would  enter  who  had  learned,  he  hardly 
knew  how,  of  his  having  been  connected  with 
the  hateful  affair  occupying  his  thoughts.  It 
was  therefore  with  a  genuine  feeling  of 
relief  that  just  as  he  was  preparing  to  lock 
up  his  books  he  heard  the  outer  door  open, 
and  a  familiar  voice  inquire  if  he  was 
within. 

"  Pray  come  in  at  once,  Yorke,"  he  said, 
throwing  open  the  door  of  his  private  room 
with  alacrity,  as  he  held  out  a  hand  of  wel 
come  to  his  visitor.  "  Did  you  rise  early 


228  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

this  morning?  I  am  ashamed  to  own  how 
late  I  was,  but  the  balls  at  De  Lancey  Place 
are  promoters  of  sleep  next  day,  I  find." 

"  I  can  usually  plead  guilty  to  sleep," 
replied  Yorke,  throwing  off  his  military  cloak, 
and  taking  the  chair  which  Gulian  offered 
him,  "  but  I  had  to  be  stirring  early  to-day, 
for  Sir  Henry  had  pressing  affairs,  and  I  was 
at  headquarters  before  seven  o'clock." 

"  Did  you  take  horse  in  pursuit  of  the  spy 
last  night  ?  "  asked  Gulian,  with  somewhat 
heightened  color. 

"  Not  I,"  answered  Yorke  carelessly ; 
"  the  poor  devil  had  luck  on  his  side,  or 
doubled  marvelously  well  on  his  pursuers, 
for  I  am  told  that  not  a  trace  of  him  nor  of 
his  confederate,  the  little  fiddler,  did  our 
men  find.  It 's  well  for  them,  as  Sir  Henry 
was  much  enraged  and  their  shrift  would 
have  been  short,  I  fear,  had  they  been  cap 
tured." 

"  These  rebels  grow  bolder  than  ever," 
said  Gulian,  uttering  a  secret  thanksgiving 
which  spoke  better  for  his  kindness  of  heart 
than  his  loyalty  to  King  and  Crown ;  "  I 
marvel  at  their  adroitness." 

"  So  do  we  all ;  —  but,  Verplanck,  I  came 
on  a  different  errand  to-day  than  politics. 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  229 

I   came  "  —  and   Geoffrey   hesitated,   as   a 
questioning  look  came  on  Gulian's  face  — 
"  I   came  —  I  —     In  short,  am  I  right  in 
esteeming    you  for  the  present  as  brother 
and  guardian  to  Mistress  Betty  Wolcott?" 

"  Aye  ;  in  her  father's  absence,  of  course, 
I  stand  in  that  relation  toward  her.  Well, 
what  of  Betty  ?  " 

"  Only  this,"  and  rising,  Yorke  bowed  in 
courtly  fashion :  "  I  have  the  honor  to  ask 
your  permission  to  pay  my  addresses  to  your 
sister,  Mistress  Betty." 

"  To  Betty  ?  "  was  Gulian's  astonished 
and  delighted  response.  "  You  surprise  me. 
Your  acquaintance  is  but  recent,  and,  I 
think,  somewhat  formal  ?  " 

"  Love  is  hardly  a  matter  of  time  or 
formality,"  returned  Yorke,  with  a  smile,  as 
a  remembrance  of  his  first  meeting  with 
Betty  occurred  to  him,  "  and  that  I  do  truly 
and  honestly  love  her  you  have  my  honora 
ble  assurance.  Do  you  give  me  your  per 
mission  to  proceed  in  the  matter  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  Gulian,  this 
new  aspect  of  things  driving  all  unpleasant 
ness  connected  with  Betty  from  his  head ; 
"  but  her  father's  consent  is,  I  fear  me, 
quite  a  different  matter." 


230  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

"  That  is  not  for  to-day,"  cried  the  lover, 
as  he  shook  Gulian's  hand  with  almost  boy 
ish  delight,  "  and  to-morrow  may  take  care 
of  itself  if  I  can  but  gain  Betty's  ear." 

"  But  my  consent  and  Clarissa's  can  be 
but  conditional,"  proceeded  Gulian,  his  ha 
bitual  caution  returning  to  him.  "  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  should  be  altogether  justified  — 
Nay,"  seeing  Yorke's  face  cloud  with  keen 
disappointment,  "  I  will  myself  lay  the  mat 
ter  before  Betty,  and  endeavor  to  ascer 
tain  if  she  may  be  well  disposed  toward 
you." 

"  Heaven  forbid !  "  thought  the  impetuous 
lover.  But  he  only  said  aloud,  "  Thank 
you,  Verplanck,  I  am  delighted  to  receive 
your  sanction.  How  are  you  spending  the 
afternoon  ?  " 

"  I  have  business  at  Breucklen  Heights, 
but  I  shall  be  at  home  this  evening,  when  I 
will  approach  Betty  in  the  matter,  and  tell 
my  wife  of  the  honor  you  do  us.  For  I 
have  not  forgotten  my  many  visits  to  your 
father,  Lord  Herbert,  at  Yorke  Towers,  and 
the  kindness  extended  me  while  in  England. 
Indeed,  Yorke,  for  my  personal  share  in  the 
matter,  I  know  of  no  alliance  which  could 
gratify  me  more." 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  231 

This  was  unwonted  warmth  on  Gulian's 
part,  and  Yorke,  feeling  it  to  be  such,  grasped 
his  hand  warmly  at  parting,  as  he  flung 
himself  in  his  saddle,  and  rode  gayly  up 
Maiden  Lane. 

But  the  "  best  laid  plans  o'  mice  and 
men "  often  meet  with  unsuspected  hin 
drances,  as  both  Gulian  and  Yorke  were 
destined  to  discover.  What  special  imp 
prompted  Betty  to  sally  forth  for  a  walk  after 
dinner,  thereby  missing  a  call  from  Yorke 
(who  came  thus  early  to  prevent  Gulian's 
intended  interview),  it  would  be  vain  to 
speculate  ;  but  when  the  maid  returned,  feel 
ing  more  like  her  old  happy  self  than  she  had 
done  in  weeks,  the  irony  of  fate  prompted 
an  encounter  with  her  brother-in-law  at  the 
library  door. 

"  I  have  somewhat  to  say  to  you,  Betty," 
began  Gulian,  with  an  air  of  importance, 
which  set  Betty's  nerves  on  edge  at  once. 
If  there  was  one  thing  more  than  another 
that  annoyed  her  it  was  Gulian's  pompous 
manner.  "  Will  you  come  inside  before  go 
ing  upstairs  ?  I  will  not  detain  you  long." 

Wondering  what  could  have  occurred  to 
wipe  out  the  displeasure  with  which  he  had 
dismissed  her  to  bed  the  last  time  they  met, 


232  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

Betty  followed  him,  and  throwing  off  her 
hood  and  cloak  seated  herself  calmly  as 
Gulian  entered  and  closed  the  door  with  the 
solemnity  he  considered  befitting  the  occa 
sion. 

"  I  had  the  unhappiness  — -  the  very  great 
unhappiness,"  he  began,  "  to  feel  much  dis 
pleased  with  you  last  night ;  but  upon  think 
ing  the  whole  matter  over  carefully,  I  am 
convinced  that  in  assisting  your  unfortunate 
brother  to  escape  you  did  your  best  under 
the  circumstances,  and  were  justified  in  yield 
ing  to  a  very  natural  and  proper  sisterly 
impulse." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Betty  demurely,  but 
with  a  sparkle  of  fun  in  her  liquid  eyes 
as  she  turned  them  upon  Gulian,  secretly 
amused  at  this  curiously  characteristic  apol 
ogy- 

"  We  will  dismiss  that  event  and  endea 
vor  to  forget  it ;  I  only  wish  to  repeat  my 
injunction  that  I  desire  Clarissa  should  know 
nothing  of  the  matter."  He  paused,  and 
Betty  made  a  movement  of  assent. 

"How  old  are  you,  Betty?"  came  the 
next  remark. 

"  I  am  turned  sixteen,"  replied  Betty, 
somewhat  surprised  at  the  question. 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  233 

"  So  I  thought."  Gulian  paused  again  to 
give  weight  and  dignity  to  the  disclosure. 
"  You  are  now  of  a  marriageable  age.  I  have 
this  morning  received  a  proposal  for  your 
hand." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Betty  calmly.  "  And  who, 
pray,  has  done  me  that  honor,  in  this  city, 
where  I  am  but  a  recent  comer  ?  " 

"  Precisely  what  I  remarked ;  the  a*c- 
quaintance  has  been,  perhaps,  unduly  short. 
But  nevertheless  a  most  honorable  and  dis 
tinguished  gentleman  intends  to  offer  you, 
through  me,  his  hand  "  — 

"  He  had  been  wiser  to  present  me  with 
his  heart,"  interrupted  Betty,  with  a  mis 
chievous  laugh.  But  mirth  died  on  her  lips 
as  Gulian,  frowning  slightly,  proceeded  with 
his  story  in  his  own  way. 

"  His  hand,  and  I  presume  his  heart ;  do 
not  be  flippant,  Betty  ;  it  ill  becomes  you. 
This  young  gentleman  will  be  called  upon 
to  fill  a  high  position  ;  he  is  the  son  of  a 
man  of  title  and  "  — 

"  Stay,"  said  Betty  coldly.  "  It  is  not 
necessary  to  rehearse  his  advantages.  May 
I  ask  the  name  of  this  somewhat  audacious 
gentleman  ?  " 

"  Audacious  ?  "  ejaculated  Gulian,  falling 


234  AN    UNWILLING    MAID 

back  a  step  to  gaze  full  at  the  haughty  face 
uplifted  toward  him.  "Surely  you  misun 
derstand  me.  Pending  your  father,  General 
Wolcott's  consent,  I  trust  you  are  able  to 
perceive  the  advantages  of  this  match,  for 
Captain  Geoffrey  Yorke  is  a  son  of  Lord 
Herbert  Yorke,  and  grandson  of  the  Earl  of 
Hardwicke.  It  is  an  exceptionally  good 
offer,  in  my  opinion,  for  any  colonist,  as  in 
this  country,  alas,  we  have  no  rank.  More 
over,  Betty,  when  the  war  ends  it  will  be 
wise  to  have  some  affiliation  with  the  mother 
country,  and  by  so  doing  be  in  a  position 
to  ask  protection  for  your  unhappy  and  mis 
guided  relatives  who  now  bear  arms  against 
the  King." 

Up  rose  Mistress  Betty,  her  slender  form 
trembling  with  indignation,  her  eyes  flash 
ing,  and  her  cheeks  scarlet. 

"  I  would  to  God,"  she  cried  passionately, 
"  that  my  father  could  hear  you  insult  his 
child,  his  country,  and  his  cause.  There  is 
no  need  for  you  to  ask  his  consent  to  my 
marriage  with  Captain  Yorke,  for  here,  this 
moment,  I  promptly  decline  any  alliance 
which  possesses  the  advantages  you  so  feel 
ingly  describe." 

"  Betty,  Betty  "  —  Gulian  saw  his  mistake, 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  235 

but  it  was  too  late ;  on  rushed  the  torrent  of 
her  indignation. 

"  I  wish  you  —  and  him  —  to  understand 
that  Betty  Wolcott  is  heart  and  soul  with 
her '  misguided  relatives  '  in  rebellion  against 
British  rule  ;  that  nothing  —  no,  nothing, 
would  induce  her  to  wed  an  enemy  to  her 
country." 

"  Nothing,  Betty  ?  "  said  a  manly  voice 
behind  her,  as  Yorke  himself  crossed  the 
threshold,  where  for  the  last  few  seconds  he 
had  been  an  angry  listener  to  Gulian's  blun 
ders.  "  Surely  you  will  grant  me  a  moment 
to  plead  on  my  own  behalf  ?  " 

"And  wherefore?"  cried  Betty.  "You 
sent  your  message  by  him,"  with  a  scorn 
ful  wave  of  her  hand  toward  Gulian's  re 
treating  figure ;  "  through  him,  then,  receive 
my  reply." 

"  I  will  not,"  said  Geoffrey  firmly,  as  the 
door  closed  behind  Verplanck.  "  Sweetheart, 
will  you  listen  to  me  ?  " 

"It  is  useless,"  murmured  Betty,  with  a 
choking  sob.  "  I  was  mad  to  even  dream  it 
might  be  possible.  Gulian  has  made  it  all 
too  plain  to  me." 

"  Nay,  you  must  and  shall  hear  me.  I 
will  not  leave  you  until  I  tell  you  that  I  love 


236  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

you  devotedly ;  ah,  why  should  politics  and 
war  come  between  our  hearts?  Consider, 
Betty,  I  will  do  all  a  gentleman  and  a  man 
of  honor  can  to  please  you  "  — 

"  But  you  cannot  desert  your  own  people," 
she  said  despairingly.  "  I  could  not  love  you 
if  you  did,  for,  Geoffrey,  it  is  but  due  you  to 
confess  in  this  hour  of  parting  that  you  are 
very,  very  dear  to  me,"  and  the  last  words 
just  reached  his  eager  ears  as  Betty  sank, 
trembling,  into  a  chair. 

"  Dearest,"  he  cried,  kissing  the  little 
hand  which  lay  in  his,  "  will  you  not  bid  me 
hope  ?  Think,  the  tide  may  turn  ;  we  are 
both  young,  and  who  can  predict  the  for 
tunes  of  war  ?  I  will  not  bind  you,  but  to 
you  I  must  myself  be  bound  by  the  passion 
ate  love  I  bear  you." 

"  Oh,  Geoffrey,  my  beloved,  it  cannot  be  ! 
I  know  what  my  dear  and  honored  father 
would  say.  God  guard  you  —  farewell !  " 

He  caught  the  dainty  form  in  his  arms,  he 
held  her  next  his  heart  and  vowed  that  come 
what  would  he  defied  fate  itself  to  separate 
her  from  him.  "  See,"  he  cried,  snatching 
the  knot  of  rose-colored  ribbon  from  his 
breast,  "  I  will  wear  this  token  always  as  I 
have  done  since  the  day  it  dropped  from  your 


LOVE    OR   LOYALTY  237 

gown  on  the  grass.  If  it  be  twenty  years, 
I  will  yet  come,  with  your  father's  consent, 
to  win  you,  and  then,  then,  sweetheart,  may 
I  claim  my  reward  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  wed  my  country's  foe,"  she 
faltered.  "  Oh,  Geoffrey,  be  merciful  —  let 
me  go."  At  that  moment  there  came  a  vio 
lent  knock  upon  the  street  door,  a  sound  of 
voices,  and  Pompey's  slow  step  approaching 
the  library  door. 

"  An  express  for  Massa  Captain  brought 
by  Sir  Henry's  orderly,"  said  the  faithful 
old  negro,  handing  a  sealed  envelope  to 
Yorke,  as  he  closed  the  door  behind  him. 
Yorke  tore  it  open ;  it  fell  from  his  hand. 
For  a  moment  he  stood,  tall,  gallant,  and 
brave,  before  Betty ;  his  eyes  met  hers  in 
long,  lingering  farewell. 

"  Sir  Henry  leads  the  expedition  to  South 
Carolina  to-night,  Betty,  and  I  go  with  him. 
Nay,  sweetheart,  sweetheart,  we  shall  meet 
again  in  happier  days." 

She  gave  a  little  cry  and  flung  herself  into 
his  arms  ;  she  kissed  him  with  all  her  warm 
frank  heart  on  her  lips,  and  then  she  slipped 
from  his  embrace  and  was  gone  as  Yorke 
dashed  from  the  house,  mounted  his  horse, 
and  galloped  swiftly  away. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

MOPPET   MAKES   A   DISCOVERY 

IT  was  early  autumn  in  Connecticut,  and 
the  maples  had  put  on  their  most  gorgeous 
robes  of  red  and  yellow.  The  weather  had 
been  mild  for  that  region  up  to  the  middle 
of  October,  when  a  sudden  light  frost  had 
flung  its  triumphant  banner  over  hill  and 
dale  with  a  glow  and  glory  seen  to  its  great 
est  perfection  in  New  England.  The  morn 
ing  air  was  somewhat  fresh,  and  Miss  Bid- 
well,  hearing  Moppet's  feet  flying  along  the 
hall,  opened  the  door  of  the  sitting-room  and 
called  the  child. 

"  You  will  need  your  tippet  if  you  are  go 
ing  beyond  the  orchard,  and  I  think  perhaps 
your  hood." 

"  Hood !  "  echoed  Miss  Moppet  disdain 
fully,  shaking  her  yellow  curls  over  her 
shoulders  until  they  danced  almost  of  them 
selves  ;  "  I  do  not  need  to  be  muffled  up  as 
if  I  were  a  little  girl,  Miss  Bidwell.  You 
forget  I  was  twelve  years  old  yesterday," 


MOPPET   MAKES  A   DISCOVERY       239 

and  she  waltzed  around  the  room,  spreading 
her  short  skirt  in  a  courtesy,  to  Miss  Bid- 
well's  admiring  gaze. 

"  Indeed,  I  am  likely  to  recollect  when  I 
myself  arranged  the  twelve  candles  in  your 
birthday  cake." 

"  To  be  sure  !  "  cried  Moppet,  with  swift 
repentance,  "and  such  an  excellent,  rich 
cake  as  it  was,  too.  Do  you  think  "  -  in 
sinuatingly  —  "  that  I  might  have  a  slice,  a 
very  tiny  slice,  before  I  go  forth  with  Betty 
to  gather  nuts  in  the  Tracys'  woods?" 

"  No,"  replied  Miss  Bidwell,  laughing, 
"  you  will  assuredly  be  ill  if  you  touch 
one  morsel  before  dinner.  Run  along,  Miss 
Moppet,  I  see  your  sister  waiting  for  you  at 
the  gate,"  and  Moppet,  with  a  jump  and  a 
skip,  flew  off  through  the  side  door  and 
down  the  path,  at  the  end  of  which  stood 
Betty. 

It  was  a  very  lovely  Betty  over  whom  the 
October  sunshine  played  that  morning,  but 
to  a  keenly  observant  eye  a  different  Betty 
from  her  who  had  danced  at  the  De  Lancey 
ball,  now  nearly  three  years  past.  This 
Betty  had  grown  slightly  taller,  and  there 
was  an  air  of  quiet  dignity  about  her  which 
suggested  Pamela.  But  the  beautiful  merry 


240  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

eyes  had  deepened  in  expression,  and  it  was, 
if  anything,  a  still  more  attractive  face  than 
of  old,  although  the  fair  unconsciousness  of 
childhood  had  departed  ;  and  if  mischief  still 
lurked  in  the  dimpled  cheeks,  that  was  be 
cause  Betty's  heart  could  never  grow  old ; 
no  matter  what  life  might  hold  for  her  of 
joy  or  sorrow,  she  would  always  be  to  a  cer 
tain  extent  a  child.  And  well  for  her  that 
it  was  so ;  do  we  not  all  know  a  few  rare 
natures  whose  fascination  dwells  in  this  very 
quality  ? 

The  years  had  gone  swiftly  for  Betty. 
Shortly  after  her  parting  with  Yorke  an 
opportunity  had  occurred  for  her  return  to 
Litchfield,  and  although  Clarissa  lamented 
her  departure  Betty  was  eager  to  fly  home. 
Gulian  had  done  his  best  to  smooth  over  his 
ill-judged  and  ill-tempered  effort  to  arrange 
her  matrimonial  affairs,  and  one  of  Betty's 
minor  annoyances  was  her  sister's  evident 
disappointment  at  Yorke 's  rejection.  Only 
once  had  she  forgotten  herself  and  flashed 
out  upon  Clarissa,  peremptorily  forbidding 
further  discussion,  and  Clarissa  had  been 
positively  aghast  at  the  impetuous  little 
creature  who  confronted  her  with  flashing 
eyes  and  quivering  lips,  and  had  speedily 


MOPPET   MAKES   A    DISCOVERY       241 

warned  Gulian  never  to  broach  the  subject 
to  Betty  again.  Peter  was  Betty's  closest 
friend  in  those  stormy  days.  The  urchin 
had  a  shrewd  perception  of  how  matters 
stood,  and  many  a  time  had  Betty  hugged 
him  for  very  gratitude  when  he  made  a 
diversion  and  carried  her  off  to  some  boyish 
haunt  in  the  city  or  to  the  Collect,  thereby 
giving  her  opportunity  to  regain  the  self- 
control  and  spirit  necessary  to  appear  as 
usual.  For  Betty  was  formed  of  gallant 
stuff.  No  matter  if  her  heart  ached  to 
bursting  for  sight  of  Geoffrey,  if  her  ears 
longed,  oh,  so  madly,  for  the  sound  of  his 
voice ;  she  could  suffer,  aye,  deeply  and 
long,  but  she  could  also  be  brave  and  hide 
even  the  appearance  of  a  wound.  That 
Gulian,  and  even  Clarissa,  considered  her  a 
heartless  coquette  troubled  her  not  at  all, 
and  so  Betty  danced  and  laughed  on  to  the 
end  of  her  sojourn  in  New  York. 

It  had  always  been  a  source  of  thankful 
ness  to  her  that  she  had  been  able  to  go 
home  before  Geoffrey's  return  from  the 
expedition  to  South  Carolina,  for  she  some 
times  doubted  her  own  ability  to  withstand 
his  personal  appeal  if  again  exerted.  That 
he  had  returned  and  then,  shortly  after,  gone 


242  AN    UNWILLING,   MAID 

upon  another  detail,  she  had  heard  inciden 
tally  from  Oliver  during  one  of  her  brother's 
flying  visits  to  Litehfield  on  his  way  to  New 
London  with  dispatches.  Oliver  had  been 
greatly  touched  by  Yorke's  conduct  in  the 
matter  of  his  escape,  but  if  he  suspected 
that  Betty's  lovely  face  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  British  officer's  kindly  blindness, 
he  was  too  clever  to  hint  as  much,  for  which 
forbearance  Betty  thanked  him  in  the  depths 
of  her  heart.  The  only  way  in  which  he 
showed  his  suspicion  was  in  the  occasional 
bits  of  news  concerning  Yorke  with  which 
he  favored  her.  At  the  battle  of  Cowpens 
Yorke  had  been  wounded  and  taken  pris 
oner,  and  it  fell  to  Oliver  Wolcott  to  arrange 
for  his  exchange.  Then,  for  the  first  time, 
were  Oliver's  surmises  changed  to  certain 
ties,  for  one  night  when  he  had  been  attend 
ing  the  prisoner,  whose  wound  was  nearly 
healed,  Yorke  broke  silence  and  in  the  frank 
est,  most  manly  fashion  demanded  news  of 
his  little  sweetheart,  and  told  Oliver  of  his 
hopes  and  fears.  Nothing  could  have  ap 
pealed  so  directly  to  the  brother  as  Yorke's 
avowal  that  Betty  had  refused  him  because 
of  the  coat  he  wore,  and  his  eyes  filled  as  he 
said,  boyishly  enough,  "  Egad,  Yorke,  she 


MOPPET  MAKES   A   DISCOVERY       243 

lias  all  the  Wolcott  pluck  and  patriotism ; 
though  were  this  vexed  question  of  inde 
pendence  settled,  I  wish  with  all  my  heart 
that  you  may  yet  conquer  this  unwilling- 
maid  whom  I  call  sister." 

Yorke  smiled,  but  he  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  add  that  Betty  had  once  let 
compassion  and  gratitude  get  the  better  of 
her  loyalty  in  the  matter  of  a  prisoner,  to 
Oliver's  own  discomfiture. 

There  had  been  some  changes  in  the  Wol 
cott  home :  Pamela  had  gone  forth  from 
the  mansion  a  bride,  after  Cornwallis  had 
surrendered  at  Yorktown,  and  Josiah  Hunt- 
ington  had  worn  a  major's  uniform  on  his 
wedding-day.  Betty  had  scarcely  recovered 
from  that  break  in  the  home  circle  when 
Sally  Tracy,  with  many  blushes  and  much 
laughter,  confessed  that  she,  too,  was  about 
to  follow  Pamela's  example,  and  that  a  cer 
tain  Mr.  James  Gould,  the  gentleman  from 
Branford,  of  whom  Moppet  had  been  so 
suspicious,  was  the  lucky  individual  upon 
whom  she  intended  to  bestow  her  hand. 
Verily,  with  all  these  wedding-bells  sound 
ing,  Betty  began  to  feel  that  she  was  likely 
to  be  left  alone,  but  she  only  laughed  gayly 
when  twitted  with  her  fancy  for  maiden- 


244  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

hood,  and  danced  as  merrily  at  Sally's  wed 
ding  as  if  her  heart  had  lain  light  in  her 
bosom  instead  of  aching  bitterly  for  one 
whom  she  began  to  fear  she  should  never 
see  more. 

Little  did  Betty  guess  that  bright  October 
morning,  when  she  and  Moppet  went  forth 
bent  on  a  nutting  excursion,  that  a  courier 
was  even  now  speeding  on  his  way  whose 
coming  would  change  the  tide  of  her  whole 
existence.  And  when,  as  noon  struck,  Oli 
ver  Wolcott  dismounted  at  the  door  of  his 
home  and,  walking  straight  to  his  father's 
study,  delivered  a  packet  from  General  Wol 
cott  to  Miss  Euphemia,  his  next  move  was 
a  descent  upon  Miss  Bidwell's  parlor  and  a 
hasty  demand  for  Betty.  So  when  Moppet 
and  Betty  appeared,  rosy  with  success  and  a 
fair-sized  bag  of  nuts  as  the  result  of  their 
joint  labors,  they  found  the  household  in  a 
state  of  suppressed  excitement,  and  lo  !  the 
cause  was  Oliver's  approaching  marriage. 

"You  see,"  explained  Oliver,  when  he 
finally  got  Betty  to  himself  for  a  walk  in 
the  orchard  after  dinner,  "now  that  the 
treaty  has  been  signed  in  Paris,  the  British 
will  soon  evacuate  New  York,  and'  when  our 
army  enters,  there  will  be  grand  doings  to 


MOPPET  MAKES   A   DISCOVERY       245 

celebrate  the  event,  and  my  father  must  ride 
at  the  head  of  the  Connecticut  troops  on 
that  day.  I,  too,  Betty,  God  willing,  shall 
be  with  the  Rangers,  and  thinking  the  date 
will  be  about  a  month  hence,  Kitty  and 
Madam  Cruger  have  set  our  wedding-day  as 
the  25th  of  November.  I  gave  you  Kitty's 
letter  "  — 

"  Yes,  and  a  dear,  kind  letter  it  is.  She 
bids  me  for  her  bridesmaid,  Oliver,  and  says 
that  Moppet  and  Peter  will  hold  her  train, 
after  the  new  English  fashion  (which  no 
doubt  is  her  mother's  suggestion,  for  I  think 
Kitty  does  not  much  affect  fancies  which 
come  across  the  water),  and,  oh,  Oliver,  I  do 
indeed  wish  you  joy,"  and  Betty's  eyes 
brimmed  full  of  tears  as  she  gave  him  her 
hand. 

"  I  know  you  love  Kitty,"  said  Oliver, 
kissing  her  cheek,  "  and  we  can  afford  to 
forgive  a  wedding  after  the  English  mode, 
as,  if  I  gain  my  Kitty,  I  care  but  little  how 
she  comes." 

"  Betty,  Betty,"  called  Moppet's  voice 
from  the  upper  path,  "do  come  in  if  you 
and  Oliver  have  finished  your  chat,  for 
Miss  Bidwell  desires  your  opinion  on  some 
weighty  matter  connected  with  our  journey 
to  New  York." 


246  AN   UNWILLING   MAID 

"I  will  come,'"  answered  Betty;  then 
turning  back  with  as  careless  an  air  as  she 
could  summon,  "  Do  you  happen  to  have 
heard  aught  of  your  quondam  prisoner,  Cap 
tain  Yorke  ?  " 

"  Yorke !  "  replied  Oliver,  avoiding  her 
eye  as  he  stooped  to  throw  a  stick  from  the 
path,  —  "  Yorke !  oh,  aye,  I  did  hear  that  he 
was  invalided  and  went  home  several  months 
ago.  I  fancy  it  was  not  so  much  his  health 
(for  he  looked  strong  enough  to  my  think 
ing  the  last  time  I  met  him)  but  more  his 
disgust  with  the  turn  things  were  taking ; 
for  you  know,  Betty,  since  the  surrender  at 
Yorktown  the  British  have  been  more  inso 
lent  and  overbearing  than  ever,  and  Yorke 
is  too  much  a  gentleman,  no  matter  what 
his  political  color,  to  be  dragged  into  quar 
rels  which  I  hear  are  incessant  in  the  city, 
and  the  cause  of  many  duels." 

"  Duels  !  "  cried  Betty,  as  the  color  left 
her  cheeks  ;  "  oh,  I  hope  he  —  that  is  —  I 
hope  nobody  whom  I  know  has  been  engaged 
in  one." 

"  Not  I,"  returned  Oliver,  with  a  mischiev 
ous  glance.  "  So  you  might  even  be  sorry  for 
a  foe,  eh,  Betty  ?  "  But  Betty  went  flying 
up  the  path  and  did  not  deign  to  reply. 


MOPPET  MAKES   A   DISCOVERS       247 

Miss  Moppet,  childlike,  was  perfectly 
overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  a  wedding  in 
which  she  was  to  play  a  part,  and  flew  from 
her  aunt  to  Miss  Bidwell  and  Betty,  then 
back  to  her  aunt  again  in  a  twitter  of  excite 
ment  at  the  combination  of  a  journey  and 
festivity  as  well.  General  Wolcott's  letter 
to  his  sister  was  full  of  important  news. 
As  the  seat  of  Congress  was  Annapolis, 
General  Wolcott,  who  was  a  member  of  that 
body,  had  decided  to  close  the  manor  house 
for  the  winter  and  take  a  house  in  New  York 
for  his  family,  and  he  sent  minute  and  par 
ticular  directions  for  leaving  all  home  affairs 
in  the  hands  of  Miss  Bidwell  and  Reuben 
until  their  return  to  Litchfield  in  the  spring. 
Oliver's  intended  marriage  had  hastened  this 
decision,  and  there  would  be  barely  time  to 
settle  matters  and  reach  New  York  in  sea 
son  for  the  wedding.  They  were  to  stop 
with  Clarissa,  who  had  written  most  plead 
ing  letters,  and  after  that  visit  would  take 
possession  of  their  new  quarters. 

Most  of  the  afternoon  was  spent  in  plans 
for  their  journey,  with  Oliver  as  escort,  and 
many  a  sigh  rose  almost  to  Betty's  lips  as 
these  recalled  that  other  journey  when  her 
heart  had  been  as  light  as  Moppet's  was  now. 


248  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

But  she  put  all  thought  aside  with  a  resolute 
heart,  and  finally  receiving  directions  from 
Miss  Euphemia  in  regard  to  a  chest  of  win 
ter  clothing  packed  safely  away  in  the  gar 
ret,  she  concluded  to  give  Moppet's  restless 
hands  some  occupation,  and  bade  the  child 
accompany  her  upstairs. 

The  old  garret  looked  familiar  enough. 
Even  the  wooden  stools  which  had  served 
as  seats  for  her  and  Sally  Tracy  in  the  old 
childish  days  stood  in  the  same  corner  under 
the  dormer  window,  through  which  the  sun 
was  even  now  pouring  its  setting  rays.  The 
chest  was  unlocked,  and  presently  a  goodly 
pile  of  clothing  lay  upon  the  floor  ready  to 
be  carried  below. 

"  Let  me  have  my  worsted  jacket,  and  my 
flannel  wrapper  (indeed,  I  do  believe  they 
are  too  small  for  me  ;  can  I  find  others  in 
New  York,  Betty?),  and  this  pretty  hood  of 
Pamela's.  Betty,  Betty,  do  you  think  Miss 
Bidwell  could  cut  this  one  smaller  for  me  ? 
May  I  just  run  down  and  ask  ?  I  will  return 
at  once." 

"Yes,"  said  Betty,  intent  upon  counting 
a  heap  of  stockings ;  "  please  fetch  me  a  pair 
of  scissors  when  you  come  up  again." 

Off  flew  Moppet,  marking  her  progress 


MOPPET   MAKES   A   DISCOVERY       249 

down  the  garret  stairs  by  various  exclama 
tions  as  she  dropped  the  jacket  and  tripped 
on  the  wrapper,  but  finally  reached  the  bot 
tom  in  safety.  Betty  went  on  overlooking 
the  chest ;  there  were  many  articles  to  select 
from,  and  a  red  skirt  of  Moppet's  which 
did  not  appear  to  be  forthcoming.  She  ran 
her  hand  down  to  the  very  bottom  of  the 
chest,  and  feeling  some  garment  made  of 
smooth  cloth  with  a  gleam  of  red  in  it, 
dragged  it  forth  and  held  it  up  to  the  light. 
As  she  did  so,  her  hand  struck  something 
hard  and  round. 

"What  have  I  found?"  thought  Betty, 
but  the  next  moment  she  saw  that  what 
she  held  was  an  officer's  dark  blue  riding- 
cape  fastened  with  brass  buttons,  on  each  of 
which  was  engraved  a  crown,  and  the  cape 
was  lined  with  British  scarlet. 

"  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  said  Mop 
pet's  voice,  as  she  appeared  at  her  side. 
"  Why,  't  is  Captain  Yorke's  cape  that  h^ 
muffled  me  in  the  day  I  fell  into  Great 
Pond  —  Oh,  Betty,  Betty,  what  is  amiss  ?  " 

Down  on  her  knees  fell  Betty.  She  bur 
ied  her  face  in  the  cape's  folds,  and  tears 
rolled  down  her  cheeks  as  she  tried  to  say, 
"  It  is  nothing,  nothing,  I  am  tired  —  I  am 


250  AN    UNWILLING   MAW 

—  Oh,  Geoffrey,  Geoffrey,  I  think  my  heart 
is  breaking." 

Miss  Moppet  opened  her  eyes  to  their 
widest ;  then  slowly  and  deliberately  she 
grasped  the  situation  in  "  high  Roman  fash 
ion." 

"  Betty  Wolcott,  do  I  live  to  see  you  weep 
over  a  scarlet  coat !  " 

No  answer ;  indeed,  Betty  scarcely  heard 
the  words.  The  flood-gates  were  let  loose 
and  the  agony  of  days  and  months  must 
have  its  way. 

"  Betty  !  "  this  time  the  voice  of  reprov 
ing  patriotism  quavered  somewhat.  "  I  do 
believe  you  are  worse  than  Pamela."  But 
Betty  sobbed  on,  —  sobs  that  fairly  racked 
her  slender  body. 

"  Well,  I  don't  care  what  anybody  says," 

—  and  Moppet  flung  the  Whig  cause  to  the 
wind  as  she  cast  herself  down  beside  Betty, 

— "  he  's  dear  and  handsome  and  brave  ; 
whether  he  be  British  or  Yankee,  I  love  him, 
and  so  do  you,  naughty,  naughty  Betty  !  " 

And  with  her  head  on  Miss  Moppet's 
sympathizing  shoulder,  and  Miss  Moppet's 
loving  arms  clasped  around  her  neck,  Betty 
Wolcott  whispered  her  confession  and  was 
comforted. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
A   KNOT   OF   EOSE-COLOEED   EIBBON 

THE  sun  rose  bright  and  clear  over  the 
Bay  of  New  York.  It  had  been  a  somewhat 
gray  dawn,  but  the  fog  and  mist  had  gradu 
ally  rolled  away,  and  the  day  bid  fair  to  be 
one  of  those  which  Indian  summer  occasion 
ally  gives  in  our  northern  climate.  All 
around  Fort  George  and  the  Battery  the 
British  troops  were  making  ready  for  depar 
ture  ;  the  ships  for  their  transportation  to 
England  lay  out  in  the  bay,  for  this  was  the 
25th  of  November  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1783. 

The  streets  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city 
were  filled  with  a  different  kind  of  crowd, 
but  one  equally  eager  to  be  off  and  away. 
Many  of  the  Tories  and  sympathizers  with 
the  Crown  had  found  New  York  a  most  un 
pleasant  dwelling-place  since  the  signing  of 
the  treaty  in  which  "  The  United  States  of 
America  "  were  proclaimed  to  the  world  an 
independent  Power,  and  Sir  Guy  Carleton, 


252  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

the  British  commander,  had  more  trouble 
in  providing  transportation  for  this  army  of 
discontented  refugees  than  for  his  own  sol 
diers.  However,  the  day  was  fixed,  the 
ships  ready  to  weigh  anchor,  and  the  Army 
of  Occupation  about  to  bid  adieu  to  Ameri 
can  shores  forever. 

"  Peter,"  said  Miss  Moppet,  as  she  danced 
merrily  out  of  the  breakfast-room,  "  you  are 
sure,  quite  sure  that  the  grand  procession, 
with  General  Washington  at  its  head,  will 
come  past  this  door  ?  Because  we  are  all 
cordially  bidden  to  Mistress  Kitty's  and  per 
haps  Betty  may  prefer  to  go  there." 

"  But  it  will  be  a  far  better  sight  here,"" 
returned  Peter ;  "  it  is  sure  to  pass  our  door, 
for  I  heard  Oliver  tell  Aunt  Clarissa  so  last 
night  just  as  he  was  going  out." 

"  Oliver  has  overmuch  on  his  mind  to-day," 
remarked  Moppet  shrewdly  ;  "to  ride  with 
his  troop  in  the  morning  and  be  married  at 
evening  is  quite  enough  to  make  him  forget 
the  route  of  a  procession.  Do  you  think  we 
might  go  out  on  the  doorstep  and  see  if 
there  be  any  sign  of  its  approach  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  It  will  be  royal  fun  to  see 
the  British  soldiers  come  down  from  the 
Government  House,  and  hear  the  hoots  and 


A   KNOT   OF  ROSE-COLORED   RIBBON      253 

howls  the  Broadway  and  Vly  boys  are  bound 
to  give  them.  For  once  all  the  boys  of  the 
city  are  of  one  mind  —  except  the  Tory  boys, 
and  they  don't  count  for  much  hereafter." 

"  I  would  n't  jeer  at  a  fallen  foe  if  I  were 
you,  Peter,"  said  Moppet  severely,  as  she 
took  up  a  position  on  the  stoop,  and  leaned 
her  elbows  on  the  iron  railing ;  "  my  father 
says  that  is  not  manly,  and  besides  I  do  sup 
pose  there  may  be  some  decent  Britishers." 

"  I  never  knew  but  one,"  retorted  Peter 
stoutly.  "What  knowledge  have  you  of 
them,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

"  Not  much,"  evasively.  "  Who  was  the 
one  you  mention  ?  " 

"  My !  but  he  was  a  prime  skater  ;  how  he 
and  Betty  used  to  fly  over  Collect  Pond  that 
winter.  Do  you  skate  up  in  Litchfield, 
Moppet  ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course ;  that 's  where  Betty 
learned  with  Oliver." 

"  Oh,  aye,  I  remember  ;  when  she  cut  a 
face  on  the  ice  the  day  she  raced  with  Cap 
tain  Yorke  she  told  me  her  brother  had 
taught  her." 

At  this  moment  there  was  sound  of  a  dis 
tant  bugle  ;  both  children  ran  down  to  the 
foot  of  the  steps  and  gazed  eagerly  up  the 


254  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

street.  But  it  was  a  false  alarm,  and  after 
a  few  moments  spent  in  fruitless  watching 
they  returned  to  their  post  of  observation  on 
the  stoop. 

"  Peter,"  began  Moppet  presently,  with 
true  feminine  persistency,  "  what  were  you 
saying  about  a  British  officer  who  knew 
Betty?" 

"  Captain  Yorke  ?  He  was  aide  to  Sir 
Henry  Clinton." 

"  Was  he  ?  Will  he  go  off  to-day  with  all 
the  other  redcoats  ?  " 

"  He  sailed  away  to  England  some  months 
ago,  —  I  recollect  he  came  to  bid  good-by 
to  Clarissa,  —  but  do  you  know,  Moppet," 
lowering  his  voice,  with  a  glance  over  his 
shoulder  to  be  certain  that  he  was  not  over 
heard,  "  I  think  I  saw  him  two  days  ago." 

"  In  New  York  ?  "  said  Moppet,  with  a 
start.  "  Why  you  said  he  'd  gone  to  Eng 
land." 

"  But  he  could  come  back,  surely.  Mop 
pet,  /think  he  was  proper  fond  of  Betty." 

"Peter  Provoost,  do  you  fancy  that  my 
sister  would  smile  on  a  scarlet  coat  ?  You 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself,"  and  Mop 
pet  looked  the  picture  of  virtuous  indig 
nation. 


A   KNOT   OF  ROSE-COLORED   RIBBON      255 

"  Well,  I  've  seen  her  do  it,"  retorted 
Peter,  not  in  tlie  least  abashed,  "  and  what 's 
more  I  heard  him  call  her  '  sweetheart ' 
once." 

"  Oh,  Peter  !  "  Moppet's  curiosity  very 
nearly  got  the  better  of  her  discretion  ;  but 
she  halted  in  time,  and  bit  her  tongue  to 
keep  it  silent. 

"  And  if  you  won't  tell  —  promise  ?  "  — 
Moppet  nodded  —  "  not  a  word,  mind,  even 
to  Betty  —  where  do  you  think  I  saw  Captain 
Yorke  the  other  day  ?  You  '11  never  guess  ; 
—  it  was  at  Fraunces's  Tavern  on  Broad 
Street,  and  he  was  in  earnest  conversation 
with  General  Wolcott." 

"With  my  father?"  This  time  Mop 
pet's  astonishment  was  real,  and  Peter 
chuckled  at  his  success  in  news-telling. 

"  Children,"  called  a  voice  from  the  hall, 
"  where  are  you  ?  Do  you  want  to  come 
with  me  on  an  errand  for  Clarissa  near  Bowl 
ing  Green,  which  must  be  done  before  the 
streets  are  full  of  the  troops  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  cried  both  voices,  as  Peter 
dashed  in  one  direction  after  his  cocked  hat, 
and  Miss  Moppet  flew  in  another  for  the 
blue  hood.  Betty  waited  until  the  pair  re 
turned,  laughing  and  panting,  and  then  tak- 


256  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

ing  a  hand  of  each  she  proceeded  up  Wall 
Street  to  Broadway,  and  down  that  thor 
oughfare  toward  Bowling  Green.  Before 
they  had  quite  reached  their  destination  the 
sound  of  bugle  and  trumpet  made  them  turn 
about,  and  Peter  suggested  that  they  should 
mount  a  convenient  pair  of  steps  in  front  of 
a  large  white  house,  which  had  apparently 
been  closed  by  its  owners,  for  a  number 
of  bystanders  were  already  posted  there. 
They  were  just  in  time,  for  around  the  cor 
ner  of  William  Street  came  a  group  of  offi 
cers  on  horseback,  their  scarlet  uniforms 
glittering  in  the  sun.  It  was  Sir  Guy  Carle- 
ton  and  his  staff,  on  their  way  to  the  Bat 
tery,  where  they  would  take  boats  and  be 
rowed  over  to  a  man-of-war  which  awaited 
them  in  the  bay.  A  murmur,  then  louder 
sounds  of  disapprobation,  started  up  from 
the  street. 

"  There  they  go  !  "  cried  a  voice,  "  and 
good  riddance  to  Hessians  and  Tories." 

Betty's  cheeks  flushed.  Oh,  those  hate 
ful  scarlet  coats,  symbols  of  what  had  caused 
her  so  much  misery.  And  yet  —  with  an 
other  and  deeper  wave  of  color  —  it  was 
Geoffrey's  uniform  and  these  were  his  bro 
ther  officers,  going  where  they  would  see 


A   KNOT    OF  ROSE-COLORED   RIBBON      257 

him  ;  oh,  why,  why,  was  fate  so  unkind,  and 
life  so  hard!  Another  moment  and  they 
were  out  of  sight,  but  keen-eyed  Moppet 
caught  a  glimpse  of  Betty's  downcast  face 
and  said  to  herself,  "  Oh,  I  dare  not  tell  her ; 
I  wish  I  did." 

Out  on  Bowery  Lane  and  away  up  in 
Harlem,  over  King's  Bridge,  with  measured 
step  and  triumphant  hearts  the  Continentals 
were  entering  the  city.  What  a  proces 
sion  was  that,  with  General  Washington 
and  Governor  Clinton  at  its  head,  and  how 
all  loyal  New  York  spread  its  banners  to  the 
wind  and  shouted  loud  and  long  to  welcome 
it !  There  were  the  picked  men  of  the  army, 
the  heroes  of  an  hundred  fights,  the  men  of 
Massachusetts  who  had  been  at  Lexington 
and  Bunker  Hill ;  General  Knox  in  com 
mand,  and  General  Wolcott  with  his  Con 
necticut  Rangers,  while  Oliver  rode  proudly 
at  the  head  of  his  company.  It  was  a  slow 
inarch,  down  the  Bowery  and  through  Chat 
ham  and  Queen  streets  to  Wall,  thence  up 
to  Broadway,  where  the  column  halted. 

It  would  be  vain  to  describe  Betty's  emo 
tion  as  from  the  windows  of  the  Verplanck 
mansion  she  watched  the  troops  and  the 
civil  concourse,  and  realized  that  at  last, 


258  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

after  long  years  of  heroic  endurance,  of  gal 
lant  fighting,  of  many  privations,  the  free 
dom  of  the  Colonies  was  an  accomplished 
fact.  Miss  Moppet  and  Peter  flew  from 
one  window  to  another  and  cheered  and 
shouted  to  their  hearts'  content.  Even 
Grandma  Effingham  and  Clarissa  waved 
their  handkerchiefs,  while  Gulian,  on  the 
doorstep,  raised  his  cocked  hat  in  courtly 
salute  to  General  Washington.  Gulian  was 
beginning  to  learn  that  perhaps  one  might 
find  something  to  be  proud  of  in  America, 
even  if  we  were  lacking  in  the  rank  and 
titles  he  so  admired. 

Oliver's  wedding,  which  was  set  for  six 
o'clock,  to  allow  the  commaiider-in-chief  to 
be  present  before  the  banquet  at  Fraunces's 
Tavern,  was  to  be  on  as  grand  a  scale  as 
Madam  Cruger's  ideas  could  make  it ;  for 
having  consented  to  her  daughter's  mar 
riage,  that  stately  dame  proposed  to  yield  in 
her  most  gracious  fashion.  It  took  some 
time  to  dress  Miss  Moppet  in  the  silken 
petticoat  and  puffed  skirt,  the  tiny  mobcap 
and  white  ribbons,  which  Kitty  had  con 
sidered  proper  for  the  occasion,  and  Betty 
found  she  must  hasten  her  own  toilet,  or  be 
late  herself.  Moppet  followed  her  up  to  the 


A   KNOT   OF  ROSE-COLORED   RIBBON      259 

old  room  where  Betty  had  spent  so  many 
hours  of  varied  experience,  and  assisted  to 
spread  out  once  again  the  flowered  brocade, 
which  had  not  seen  the  light  of  day  since 
the  De  Lancey  ball. 

"  Here  are  your  slippers,  Betty ;  how 
nicely  they  fit  your  foot." 

"Yes,"  said  Betty,  her  thoughts  far 
across  the  sea,  as  she  slipped  on  one  of 
them. 

"  I  hope  these  are  wedlock  shoes,"  quoth 
Moppet,  with  a  queer,  mischievous  glance, 
as  she  tied  the  slipper  strings  around  the 
slender  ankle.  But  Betty  did  not  heed  her ; 
she  was  busy  undoing  the  knots  of  rose- 
colored  ribbon  on  the  waist,  which  she  had 
once  placed  there  with  such  coquettish 
pride. 

"What  are  you  about?"  cried  Moppet, 
seizing  her  sister's  hand  as  she  was  in  the 
act  of  snipping  off  one  with  the  scissors. 
"  Oh,  Betty,  the  gown  will  not  be  half  so 
pretty  without  them." 

"  Nay,  child,  rose-colored  ribbons  are  not 
for  me  to-day ;  I  am  grown  too  old  and  sad," 
said  Betty  softly,  looking  with  tender  eyes 
into  Moppet's  face. 

"  Did  ever  I  hear  such  fal-lal  nonsense," 


260  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

and  Moppet's  foot  came  down  in  a  genuine 
hot-tempered  stamp  which  made  Betty  start. 
"  Betty,  Betty,  I  will  not  have  it  —  pray  put 
them  back  this  moment ;  "  then  in  the  coax 
ing  voice  which  she  knew  always  carried  her 
point,  "  What  would  Oliver  and  Kitty  say 
if  you  were  not  as  gay  as  possible  to  grace 
their  wedding  ?  Oh,  fie,  Betty  dear  !  " 

As  usual  Moppet  had  her  way,  and  when 
the  pair  alighted  at  the  Cruger  door  Betty's 
knots  of  rose-color  were  in  their  accustomed 
place. 

Within  the  mansion  all  was  light  and  gay. 
Weddings  in  those  times  were  conducted 
with  even  more  pomp  and  ceremony  than  in 
our  day,  and  the  entertainments,  though  not 
upon  the  present  scale,  were  fully  as  lavish. 
Wax  candles  shone  at  every  possible  point, 
and  lit  up  the  broad  reception-hall,  the  pol 
ished  floors  and  high  ceilings,  while  mirrors 
on  mantels  and  walls  reflected  back  many 
times  the  stately  figures  which  passed  and 
repassed  before  them.  And  then  there  came 
a  pause,  when  voices  were  hushed,  and  down 
the  oak  staircase  came  Kitty,  led  by  Gulian 
Verplanck  (her  nearest  male  relative),  wear 
ing  a  white  satin  petticoat  (though  some 
what  scanty  to  our  ideas  in  width  and 


"I    HOPE    THESIi    ARK    WEDLOCK    SHOES  " 


A    KNOT    OF   ROSE-COLORED    RIBBON      261 

length),  and  over  it  a  train  of  silver  brocade, 
stiff  and  rustling,  while  a  long  scarf  of  Mech 
lin  lace  covered  her  pretty  dark  head  and 
hung  in  soft  folds  down  her  back.  The 
high-heeled  slippers,  the  long  lace  mitts,  with 
their  white  bows  at  the  elbow,  completed  her 
toilet.  She  stood  before  the  assembled  com 
pany  a  fair  young  bride  of  the  olden  days, 
and  behind  her  came  Miss  Moppet  and 
Peter  Provoost,  holding  her  silver  train  with 
the  tips  of  their  fingers.  Oliver,  in  full  Con 
tinental  uniform,  his  cocked  hat  under  his 
arm,  awaited  her  at  the  end  of  the  great 
drawing-room,  and  with  somewhat  shortened 
service,  the  rector  of  old  St.  Paul's  said  the 
words  which  made  the  pair  man  and  wife. 

Betty  was  standing  near  the  mantel,  laugh 
ing  and  chatting  gayly  with  several  of  her 
former  New  York  gallants,  when  she  beheld 
her  father  advancing  toward  her  on  the  arm 
of  a  gentleman.  Surely  she  knew  that  tall, 
elegant  figure,  that  erect,  graceful  carriage  ? 
But  the  scarlet  uniform  which  was  so  famil 
iar  was  absent ;  this  was  the  satin  coat,  small 
clothes,  and  powdered  hair  of  a  civilian. 
Betty's  head  swam,  her  brilliant  color  came 
and  went,  as  her  father  said  quietly  :  — 

"  My  daughter,  an  old  acquaintance  de- 


262  AN    UNWILLING   MAID 

sires  that  I  should  recall  him  to  your  recol 
lection  ;  I  trust  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to 
present  to  your  favor  my  friend,  Mr.  Geof 
frey  Yorke." 

Betty's  knees  shook  as  she  executed  her 
most  elaborate  courtesy,  and  as  if  in  a  dream 
she  heard  General  "Wolcott  say  to  Yorke, 
with  a  somewhat  quizzical  smile,  "  Perhaps 
you  will  kindly  take  Betty  to  the  library, 
where  I  will  myself  join  you  later  after 
escorting  General  Washington  to  the  ban 
quet." 

Betty  never  knew  how  she  crossed  that 
room  ;  every  effort  of  her  mind  was  concen 
trated  in  the  thought  that  she  must  not  be 
tray  herself.  What  did  all  this  mean ?  Such 
a  blaze  of  sunshine  had  fallen  upon  her  that 
she  did  not  dare  look  at  it ;  she  only  realized 
that  her  hand  was  in  Geoffrey's  until  they 
reached  the  quiet  and  deserted  library,  and 
then  he  was  at  her  feet. 

"  Sweetheart,  sweetheart,"  he  said,  "  you 
will  not  refuse  to  hear  me  now  ?  I  have  re 
signed  the  army,  I  have  left  England  forever 
(unless  you  yourself  will  some  day  accom 
pany  me  there  to  meet  my  people),  I  have 
thrown  in  my  fortunes  with  the  United 
States,  and  doubt  not  I  will  prove  as  faith- 


A   KNOT   OF  ROSE-COLORED   RIBBON      263 

ful  a  servant  to  your  Commonwealth  as  I 
ever  was  to  King  George,"  and  kissing  her 
hand,  he  laid  in  it  the  faded  knot  of  rose- 
colored  ribbon. 

"  But,  Geoffrey,"  she  faltered,  "  my 
father  "  — 

"  Did  not  General  Wolcott  himself  bid 
me  fetch  you  here  ?  Ah,  Betty,  the  con 
ditions  are  all  fulfilled,  and  you  are  still 
unwilling." 

She  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  in  silence, 
and  then  her  most  mischievous  smile  dawned 
in  Betty's  eyes  as  she  hid  Geoffrey's  little 
knot  of  ribbon  in  her  gown. 

"  My  heart,  but  not  my  will,  consents," 
she  said.  "  Dare  you  take  such  a  naughty, 
perverse  rebel  in  hand  for  life  ?  " 

"I  dare  all  for  love  of  Betty  Wolcott," 
cried  the  triumphant  lover,  while  from  the 
door  a  small  person  in  mobcap  surveyed  the 
pair  with  very  round  and  most  enraptured 
eyes. 

"  It 's  just  like  a  fairy  tale,"  quoth  Miss 
Moppet,  "  and  I  'm  in  it !  " 


MERCAN  i  ILE  LIBRARY 

NEW   YORK. 


CAMBRIDGE,   MASSACHUSETTS     U.  S    A 

ELECTROTYPED  AND  PRINTED  EY 

H.  O.   HOUGHTON  AND  CO. 


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